Honey, It Burns
by DarknessQueen321
Summary: Morgana Swan is the younger sister to Bella. Unlike her sister, she's got an attitude, and she's got a little more... fire to her than one might first think. She has a spark that draws people to her, especially the Cullens, but will she ever let them in? Will she let the flame between Carlisle and herself burn bright, or flicker out?
1. Honey, I Don't Wanna Go

**Today's Quote:**

**Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.**

* * *

We drove in silence to the airport. My mother had the windows rolled down, as though maybe the noise from the wind would make up from the lack of conversation. I didn't mind though - I had nothing to say to her.

It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. My older sister, Bella, loved it here. I probably would too, if I spent more than a week every three months here.

I was wearing my favourite outfit - a leather jacket, purple shirt, jeans with too many holes in them to be fashionable, and my very best combat boots. I was dressed to impress, though for who, I had no idea.

In my hand was my phone, and a set of keys to my motorbike that I bought for myself as a present and had shipped over to my dad's. It was to his I was heading. Bella insisted on leaving our… loving mother, and mum insisted I was okay enough to go with her.

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with my older sister and I when I was only a month old.

I wish I could say I went back to my dad's ever now and then, maybe for holidays, but the 'school' I attended let me escape for week long holidays, and mum insisted I visit her and her husband. My sister knew my father, but she and I rarely got along, so it wasn't as though she felt compelled to tell me much about him.

"Bella," my mom said to my sister as we got on the plane. "You don't have to do this."

My mom looks like her, except with short hair andt laugh lines. I look the opposite. I mean, I'm sure I used to look like her, but I had my hair dyed bright blue, and I wore coloured contacts so that one days my eyes might be green, and the next bright pink. I barely remembered my original looks, it had been so long.

"I want to go," Bella said in her soft voice. I frowned.

"I don't," I said, interrupting. "I'd rather stay with you. Why don't I get a choice?"

"Your sister needs you," was the answer. I rolled my eyes. "Tell Charlie I said hi."

"I will," Bella said dutifully.

"I'll see you soon," mum insisted. "You can come home whenever you want — I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

"Can I come home?" I asked again.

"No, Morgana."

"Don't worry about me," Bella urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom."

She hugged mum tightly for a minute, and I pointedly ignored it. Then we got on the plane, and it was done.

It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me, and unlike my sister, neither did the hour in the car with Dad.

I spoke with him on the phone two days ago, and he seemed genuinely pleased to meet me for the first time since I was in my toddler years.

He'd already gotten both me and Bella registered for high school and was going to help her get a car. As I mentioned, I already had my motorbike. I had worked my ass off for weeks getting that.

When we landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen — just unavoidable. It rained in England too. Dad was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too.

Dad is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. It was almost ironic. He was the good guy who spent his life chasing off 'bad' guys like me.

Dad gave Bella a one-armed hug when she stumbled my way off the plane. "It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied her.

He turned his attention towards me. "Hello, Ana."

I frowned, but didn't mention my hate for the nickname. "Hey, Dad."

He reached out awkwardly for a hug, but when I took a half step back he ended up patting me on the shoulder.

He looked a bit taken aback my my appearance, but he didn't mention it. I think he just didn't want to scare me off.

"You haven't changed much. How's Renée?" Dad asked, turning his attention to Bella, who tripped over air at the words.

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad."

I had a single bag, filled with a few shirts, three pairs of jeans, an umbrella and a winter coat. It all fit in easily next to Bella's bags.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he announced to Bella, who was sitting in shotgun. I pulled out my earphones and tried to ignore the conversation.

"What kind of car?" Bella asked.

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?"

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?"

"No."

"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Dad prompted.

Bella remained silent. "He's in a wheelchair now," Dad continued when she didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?"

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine — it's only a few years old, really."

I groaned quietly. I hoped to god I wasn't expected to ride in it.

"When did he buy it?" Bella asked.

"He bought it in 1984, I think."

That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Dad?" I asked. He looked back hopefully. "Did my bike arrive?"

Yes," Dad said, looking concerned now. "Are you sure it's safe? Kt gets very wet here."

"I know. I have experience."

"You're sixteen. You only just got your license."

"Yeah, but my last school offered lessons."

Dada looked uncomfortable. I had been kicked out of so many schools, I think it killed the cop in him. No one in America close to mum would accept me, I couldn't go to Forks due to issues, so England it was.

"Right."

We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for Conversation. We stared out the windows in silence.

It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.

I didn't recognise the house we parked at, but it looked old. It needed a good paint job, and the garden needed to be weeded.

There, parked on the street in front of the house, was my bike. I let out a little squeal, and raced out to check over my baby.

Next to it was Bella's truck, which I mentally swore I would never ride it. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella said. I was pretty sure she had somehow fallen in love with the beast.

"I'm glad you like it," Dad said gruffly, embarrassed again.

It took only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs. I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard that's weeds made me shudder in disgust. Bella had the room next to me, and I hoped desperately I never had to talk to her in the mornings.

The room had a carpeted floor, light yellow walls, a peaked ceiling, the white lace curtains around the window, all of these things making me want to recoil. It was too… happy. By the window was a desk, and a computer.

When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled hair.

Someone crashed into my back, making me tug hardly on a knot. "Watch it," I snapped.

"Sorry," whimpered Bella. I rolled my eyes.

"Dear god, grow a backbone."

"Sorry."

"Useless," I grumbled under my breath.

Storming back to my room, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It wasn't just appearance wise that I'd never fit in. I wasn't good with people. I snapped and glared and then tried to fix it, and at the end of the day, they always ended up hurt or dead.

And if I couldn't find a friend in my older sister, what were my chances here? Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs.

Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. I already knew I could do things others couldn't. But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning. I wondered how long it would be before I burnt the school down.

Tomorrow I had school. I hated normal school. My old institution had me placed with kids just like me. Those whose brains thought too fast, and too angrily. That was nice. It felt… right.

As if it couldn't be worse, I had skipped a grade, placing me with my sister.

* * *

Breakfast with Dad was a quiet event. He wished us good luck at school. I thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Dad left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family.

After he left, Bella sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor.

"Can you _try_ to be nice today?" Bella asked suddenly. "I mean, I know people messed with you head once and now you hate civilization, but I don't."

I didn't have an answer for that. It was true. One of my schools tried shock-treatment to make me better. It didn't. It made me worse. I blew up that school, and even though it was unintentional, and I had a reason, I was still carted off to the next place, narrowly avoiding juvie.

"Coming?" Bella asked finally, when she realised I wasn't talking. "We'll be late."

"It's 7:15."

"And I don't want to be late."

"Go on without me. I'll be there in an hour."

She stared at me. I'm sure she felt like it was her job to look after me, but I didn't need a babysitter.

"Okay."

When she was gone I got up and made coffee, and then read the news. Then I made coffee again, and poured it down the sink when I realised I forgot the milk.

I changed my clothes twice, before realizing I didn't care what they thought, and what difference did it make if I looked normal today, and then strange tomorrow?

I ended up going with a short crop top with too many straps, sunnies, boots, and my jacket and jeans from yesterday.

I locked up and headed out into the rain, pulling on a helmet to shield my eyes from rain. It was just drizzling still, just enough that I'd worry driving, but still go.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made me stop.

It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with marooncolored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first.

'_Where were the chain-linked electric fences, the metal detectors, the guards, both human and dog?'_ I thought.

I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I assumed it was off limits, but I didn't care. I wanted to leave, go back to England, to the one school I actually _hadn't_ been kicked out of, the one place where I felt like I belonged.

I took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly.

Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly coloured gum. The red-haired woman looked up.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Morgana Swan," I informed her, and saw the immediate understanding in her eyes.

She looked me up and down disapprovingly, and I glared straight at her.

"Of course," she said. "Your sister got here half an hour ago. You have the same schedule, except for electives. You have drama." She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school."

She brought several sheets to the counter to show roe. She went through my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each teacher sign, which I was to bring back at the end of the day.

She forced herself to smile at me and unconvincingly wished me the best. I let out a grunt that could maybe be mistaken for me thanking her.

When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was horrified to see that most of the cars were older like Bella's, nothing flashy.

The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, and it stood out.

It was funny watching the students faces as I stepped off my bike. Most pointed and stared, and some laughed. I flipped those ones off. When I swung my hips a little, and made myself smile, I found that I soon had a group of admirers.

Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner.

The classroom was for English small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. I glared at them when they flicked their hair and gave a little flirty giggle. I hated girls like that.

I took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at me when he saw my hair, and I took that as my cue to sit, thankfully at a spare desk, and not at my sister's whose was at the back.

I skimmed my reading list, took a photo with my phone, and scrunched it into a ball, tossing it perfectly in the bin.

"Score!" laughed someone behind me. I turned around to be faced with someone who looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.

"You're Ara Swan, aren't you?"

"Morgana to you," I corrected pointedly. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me.

He hardly fumbled, I had to give him that. "Where's your next class?" he asked.

I pulled out my phone and checked. "Government. Jefferson. Building six."

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way…" Definitely over helpful. "I'm Eric," he added, giving me a smile.

"No." I turned back to the front and pulled at a thread on my jeans.

When class finished, he followed me anyway. I lost him in the throng of students. Last I saw, he had found Bella and was attempting to talk to her instead.

The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. My Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made me and Bella stand in front of the class and introduce ourselves.

She stammered, blushed, and tripped over her own boots on the way to my seat. I glared, said barely two words, and stomped over to sit next to her.

"Try to be nice," she whispered to me when class started. I nodded curtly, and she gave me a soft smile.

After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks.

I tried to be blunt, and force them away, but mostly I just glared and made snarky comments. At least I never needed the map.

One girl sat next to Bella and I in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with us to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't be bothered to remember her name, but I wanted to make Bella happy, so I listened to her ramble. I didn't try to keep up, though, and when we got to the cafeteria, I split from the two, sitting at an empty table.

I had my earplugs in, and was picking at a salad, so I didn't notice when they first made their appearance.

One coughed, and I rolled my eyes. One on the other end of the group rapped their knuckles on the table.

"Yeah, Muscles?" I asked, noticing his bulky figure when I looked up. He smirked.

"This is our table."

"Cool." I pulled out my phone and began looking through my music, wanting to find a different song. Muscles laughed.

"What he meant, was, _move_," a girl snapped. I took notice of her long blonde hair and beauty mark, and realised she was one of _those_ girls.

"Sorry, Angel, but no."

"Emmett, make her move!"

Muscles, (sorry, Emmett), kissed her cheek, and stood in front of me menacingly.

I looked up properly and took in the sight of the five unworldly beings.

Of the three boys, one was big — muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond, and he was kinda really hot, except that he looked like he was going to pass out from nausea or stomach cramps. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze- colored hair. I decided he was Goldie. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town.

"I don't see your name anywhere, sorry, babes."

The one that looked like he was in pain sat down next to me, and looked me directly in the eyes. I felt like leaving suddenly, like I had something else to do.

I blinked hard, and pushed that thought away. Sexy looked confused, but bounced back.

"I really think you should go," he whispered, taking one of my hands. The feelings came back, stronger than ever, and I pushed them away.

I concentrate on my hand, making them grow warmer, till they were a fiery hot even through my gloves. He jerked his hand back, and I smirked. He seemed to have a private conversation with Goldie, and I returned to my food.

Pixie sat down on my other side, and began talking excitedly. "I _love_ your shirt!" she said. I looked down, confused. My jacket was still done up. I assumed she saw it earlier. Angel glared at Pixie.

"Okay," I said, trying to halt the conversation.

"Where'd you get it?"

"I stole it," I said truthfully. It was one of my roommates, and when she flipped out on the school and left in a flurry, I took this and a few choker collars she left behind.

Pixie looked horrified. Good.

Angel sat down and sighed loudly, making Muscles tuck her hair behind her ear and whisper reassuringly to her.

"Okay, can you leave?" I asked. They were pissing me off.

"Why? Do we make you uncomfortable?" Goldie asked. I rolled my eyes. _Stupid Goldie,_ He seemed to be holding back a laugh.

"No, but you are annoying me," I snapped. "Either shut up or move."

They looked amused, as though they found my anger funny.

"Oh, she's _perfect," _Pixie breathed, closing her eyes. "It's a match made in heaven."

"Alright, Pixie, calm down the freakiness," I said with no true malice. She was kinda amusing me, and it was funny watching Angel boil at her words, whatever they meant.

"Right, first order of business," said Muscles, apparently over trying to scare me. He must have said something to Angel, cause she gave me a miniscule smile and stopped glaring. It was the strangest thing ever.

"Hmm?" I asked, taking a piece of bread and eating it.

"I'm Emmett, that's Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, and Alice."

Edward looked at me carefully, and I wondered what he was thinking. "Good to know," I said.

The bell rang, and I stood up.

"Wait!" Alice said, as I started walking. She was apparently over her daydream. "Sit with us next lunch?"

I gave a small nod, completely baffled at the last few minute's events. I flipped my sunglasses up despite the rain pouring outside, and walked out of the cafeteria.

* * *

I had Biology II for the next two periods. I walked to class in silence, ignoring the other students. I sat down at a table in the back, next to a girl named Angela. I noticed Bella at the front sitting next to Goldie.

"Hi," she said, giving me a little wave.

"Hello," I said I was in a good mood, and she seemed quiet enough.

"Are you okay with partnering?" she asked, when we were assigned a lab task.

"Sure. I've done it before, though."

"Okay."

And that was it. She looked over the slides and I corrected her mistakes, and it was an easy friendship we started building. I left that class with my heart feeling a lot lighter. Despite my flaws and worries, and the fact that I was frightened as hell to accidentally kill her and the five, (who Angela told me were the Cullens, all adopted by an Esme and Carlisle) I was happy to have some somewhat friends.

"Hey," I said, sitting down at the table. Only Alice was there, and I gave a groan as she started pulling at my hair, telling me how cool it was. I decided to ignore her, and let her begin braiding it, waiting for the others to turn up.

"Hey, Angel," I said, when Rosalie turned up. She smiled, but I'm pretty sure it was at the name and not me.

"Hey, Ana," Emmett said, swinging his books at me, making me duck.

"No," I said, whacking him on the arm. Damn it was strong.

"No?"

"No."

"Fine."

"So Morgana, how's Forks?" Edward asked.

"Mora?"

"No. Wet, cold, like London," I said simply, taking a bite out of my apple.

"Do you miss your mother?"

"Mori?"

"No, and no."

"Why?" Emmett asked, taking a break from nicknames.

"I went to boarding schools and never saw her," I explained. I had no idea why I was being so nice to them, but somehow that didn't matter.

"Schools?" Rosalie questioned, turning her head towards me.

"Yup. I got kicked out of so many it's ridiculous."

"Why?"

"Next question," I said, trying to not think about fire and shock treatments. I felt the metal of the table bend with the heat as I leant on my elbows, and I pulled back.

"Mo?" Emmett asked. I shot him a dark glare.

"No."


	2. Honey, I Made A Friend

**Today's Quote: **

'**Only dead fish go with the flow.'**

* * *

When Bella finally arrived home, a solid half-hour after me, she began rambling and bursting my eardrums.

"It was like he hated me!" she kept saying, tugging at her hair.

"Mhmm," I said, not looking up from my book. I know, me, reading? But it was Hunger Games, and I liked the badassness of Katniss.

"Do I smell bad? No, I cant right? Not that bad, anyway, I washed my hair last night. Wait, did I? Morgana, do I smell bad?"

I rolled my eyes, but shook my head. She smelt fine.

"Just forget about it, Isabella."

"But I can't!" she moaned, dramatially falling on the couch. I huffed, and turned my back to her, hoping she'd get the idea. She didn't.

"Morgana!" she shouted. I turned to look at her. She had tear streaks running down her face, and a part of me wants to comfort her. The other, larger part, was disinterested, so I looked away again. "I think he wants to kill me!"

I stood up, grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter, and went up the stairs and into my room. I frowned. It was significantly colder than it should have been, and I was confused when I saw that the window was open.

Why would I open it?

Maybe Bella or Dad did? I wouldn't.

I walked over and closed it, still confused and cold. Maybe I should put a lock on it? Make sure they didn't do it again?

I dismissed that idea - I could just tell them later. It wasn't worth my effort.

* * *

The next day at school was… weird.

Edward wasn't there, and there was a lot of tension at our table. Rosalie ignored me, but I prefer that to her biting remarks.

"So what are you doing on the weekend?" Alice asked, tossing her apple in the air and catching it deftly. They never seemed to eat. I wondered if they had eating disorders.

"Sleeping," I said. "Why?"

"Cause there's a sale in Seattle, and I wanna go with you."

"Shopping?" I laughed. "No."

"Aww, come on, they have heaps of gothic stuff," she said, pouting. I resisted the urge to agree, and looked away.

"No, Pixie. I don't shop."

"Please?"

"No."

"C'mon on, Ana, be nice to Alice. She doesn't have many friends." Emmett said. I rolled my eyes, and I noticed Pixie did the same.

"No to shopping, and no to Ana. I've said that before." I glared at him, and felt the corners of my lips curl up when he shifted away slightly, leaning into Rosalie's hold. "C'mon," I said, as the bell rang. "Alice, I'll walk with you to building 5."

* * *

"Hi," said a brown haired kid as I walked into the Biology room.

I nodded my head at him, and tried to push past.

"So what, are you shy or something? Bella's like that too," he said, as if I didn't know that. I may not be best buddies with Bella, but I did know she was introverted, clumsy and an English brainiac. I did like her, if only because she was sweet to me even after I blew up at her.

I kept walking, shoving my shoulder against his.

"Like it rough, huh?"

"Fuck off," I hissed, glaring at him so hard he actually whimpered. Bella walked in that moment, and she gave me a disappointed look when she saw I was arguing with someone yet again.

"That's Mike," Angela said when I sat down.

"He's a dick," I spat, furiously scrawling the date in the margin of my book.

"Maybe..."

And that was that.

* * *

When the school day was done, Bella and I made plans to go shopping. I needed hair-dye, and she wanted to get food. Last night we had discovered Dad couldn't cook to save his life, so she decided she was taking matters into her own hands. Good for her, now if only she could channel that independence into being less of a push over, I might like her even more.

"Bella, help pull the tray down, will you?" I asked, as I wheeled my bike over. She did, and I began hoisting the bike up on to it with Bella's help. I jumped when I felt cold hands snake around my waist, resting on my exposed midriff.

'What the hell?" I asked in shock, twisting my head around to see Emmett laughing behind me.

"Calm down, Ava, it's just me." I rolled my eyes, and he released me. "Shove over."

I did, and he easily picked up the bike and lifted it onto the truck bed.

"Thanks, Muscles," I joked, as he swung me up into the truck with the bike, making me laugh, before I jumped down. "Hello, Rosalie."

She appeared behind Emmett, and unlike what I thought she might feel, she didn't look at all concerned or jealous at our easy friendship.

"Hello, Morgana," she said, giving me a small smile.

"Morgana, hurry up," Bella said, and I gave Emmett a fist-bump.

"See ya round, Muscles."

I pushed up the tray and walked over to the front, jumping up with ease.

It was only a few minutes before we reached Thriftway. It was just a few feet south, off the highway. Bella looked happy to be here, as if the Supermarket was the best spot on earth, after a library.

"What do we need?" I asked, pulling out the money from Dad's 'FOOD MONEY' jar, and passing it to her.

"Um, spaghetti, tomatoes, steak, potatoes, maybe some veggies," Bella rambled, thinking to herself.

I kept quiet, taking in the sights. It may just be a supermarket, but I rarely got to go into them.

I was busy looking at the cahiers, noticing how much they hated their jobs, to realise I was about to crash into someone.

"I'm so sorry," they said, in a musical voice. I looked up from my new position on the floor and saw a woman who had long brown hair and a perfect figure. "I'm Esme, are you okay?"

She held a hand out to me, but I didn't bother with it, pushing myself up from the ground.

"Cullen?" I asked, recognising the name from Angela explaining who Alice's adoptive parents were. "I'm Morgana."

"I know," she said, and I looked at her in confusion, before twirling my hair in understanding. There weren't many (or any) in Forks with coloured hair. That, and today my eyes were a vivid red, and I was wearing a strappy crop top, denim mini-skirt, and I had choker on. Not to mention my right ear had a full piercing with a chain hanging from the top of my ear and off the bottom. "And yes, Cullen."

"Right. Alice talks about you a lot."

"Yes, my niece can be much like that."

"Niece?" I asked, before backtracking. "Sorry, that was rude."

"It's okay. My brother, Carlisle, has all the adoption files, so they're _his_ children, legally."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Morgana!" Bella a yelled from the other end of the aisle.

"Coming!" I said, before awkwardly saying goodbye. "Um, nice to meet you. And, um, sorry about bumping into you."

"My fault,' she said simply, give me a warm smile that made me feel giddy inside. I could see how she was a mother - she looked like she was cut out for it. "Lovely to meet you too, dear."

* * *

When we got home, Bella started making dinner, and I helped put away the groceries. When I finished, I went up to my room, closed the window (I seriously needed to tell Charlie to stop opening it, cause Bella swore it wasn't her), and opened up my laptop.

I had several unread emails, and I got started with them. The first was from my dorm mate from my last school, Lili, and I was happy to see she still remembered me. I mean, I wouldn't be too mad if she didn't.

She had this thing where she forgets people, like not their name, but the entire person just drops from her head. It makes her really mad, and she tends to get really aggressive when it happens. Hence, she went to the same type of schools I went to.

"**Hey girl,"** It read. "**Guess who got kicked out of Edge-Woods! Uh-huh, I finally did it! I mixed some chemicals together and kaboom! No more science lab! Okay, have fun in Spoonsville, love ya, don't kill anyone, byee!**

I groaned. As if Lili's parents needed anymore reason to kick her out. She was officially insane. I didn't get why she hated Edge-Woods. It was like a regular boarding school, only it was for people who had a lot of anger issues, and reacted badly to arguments and whatever.

My next email was from my mother, informing me that she was pleased I was behaving, asking if I needed any meds, and would I like to see her for the Summer?

I sent her a curt emailing saying No, no, and yes, I was fine, thanks for asking.

I hated her.

My went to my very first psycho school when I was seven. I was there for four years, and they, being the medieval people they were, used shock-treatments. One day I blew up the school in anger, and mum never believed me when I told her what happened. Bella tried to stay neutral, her only being 12 at the time, but she was leaning into mum's beliefs, hence my mild dislike of my older sister.

My last three emails weren't half as interesting. Just spam and a letter telling me I needed to get my bike looked over in 6 months. '

"Bella? Ana?" Dad yelled from downstairs, breaking my reverie. I went down to greet him, and laughed at his shocked face. He still wasn't used to my clothes.

"Hey, Dad, welcome home," Bella said, walking down the hall. She gave me a little wave, and I gave her a half smile. I would make this work. I may not like the school, but I _did_ want a relationship with my sister.

"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as Bella bustled about the kitchen. He took a quick look at the gun and me, and decided I could apparently be trusted with it around. I rolled my eyes "What's for dinner?" he asked, coming over to kiss my forehead. I let him, but retreated to the kitchen with Bella after. Father or not, I still didn't know this man.

"Steak and potatoes," Bella answered, and he looked relieved. He seemed to feel awkward standing in the doorway doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while she worked. We were all more comfortable that way.

I made a salad while Bella cooked the steaks and set the table. She called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.

"Smells good, Bell." I coughed at him pointedly. "Thanks for the salad, Ana."

"It's fine."

We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. None of us were bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice."

"Stay away from him, Isabella," I said, getting up to wash my plate. "He's bad news."

"He's nice," Bella insisted, giving me a glare, although it wasn't very scary.

"No, Isabella, he's not."

"Morgana, let her be," Dad interrupted. I felt my hands warm, and clenched them to stop the flame rising in my palms.

"Fine," I said, haughtily. "I'll let her make her own stupid mistakes."

I sat down on the couch and curled up, reading my book while keeping an ear out for this conversation.

"Do you know the Cullen family?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."

"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him — lucky that his sister wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature — I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should — camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying. Bella backpedaled, and I smirked. Suits her right for insulting the Cullens. "They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," she added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing. "A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

* * *

My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. Bella cleaned the house, got ahead on her homework, and tried to visit the library, but came home empty handed.

I went on a hike around the woods, and drive up to Port Angeles to see if I could find a decent coffee shop. It was a waste of my time, because it all tasted like crap, and I came home very disappointed. I did manage to buy a pair of leather gloves though, and I hoped that would help.

The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep well. People greeted me warily in the parking lot Monday morning. I glared at most of them, giving a small smile to Angela, and a bigger one to the Cullen kids.

It was cold this morning, so I wore my winter coat, which made Emmett laugh when he saw me. I had my hair hiked up in a big blue bun, and my nails painted black, and I had this long red coat on instead of a biker jacket. He found it very amusing. He told me I was 'embracing my inner girl'. I politely asked him to fuck off.

In English, we had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy. Bella had made me quiz her on it on Sunday, and it was fresh in my mind. All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here.

When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.

"Wow," Mike said to Bella excitedly. I frowned at their causal interaction - did Bella realise what a perv he was? "It's snowing."

I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.

"Ew," Bella sniffed.

I, however, was in pure bliss. Snow was great for me. The cold weather meant it was harder for things to catch fire, and it was easier to get away with gloves.

Mike looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain. Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes — you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."

I snorted, making Bella whip her head around and give me a half-hearted glare.

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure I have." She paused. "On TV."

Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. Bella and Mike both turned to see where it came from.

I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us — in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

Bella kept walking as she spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside."

He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.

I frowned, pulling my jacket closer. I swear to god, if someone-

I froze. A cold ball of snow dripped down my neck, trickling into my shirt.

"Score!" laughed a loud voice. I turned, hatred etched on my face.

"Emmett Mccarty Cullen," I began, walking slowly towards him. "You best hope you have a good excuse for that."

"Cheer up, buttercup," he laughed, palming another snowball.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

I glared at him, and for a second I thought it was working, until a well aimed snowball splashed against my face, most likely ruining my gothic makeup I had worked so hard on this morning.

"Emmett," I said.

"Yeah, buttercup?"

"_Run."_

* * *

**Okay, I just wanted to say a couple things.**

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers - you all make me so happy!**

**Feel free to tell me when you love or hate something I do - it makes it easier to produce something that you all like.**

**Yes, this was a filler chapter - the real stuff happens around Bella's accident.**

**I wanted to introduce Esme to make sure you all understand how that works within the non-canon and canon relationships.**

**Yes, Morgana is going to be a scary-ass bitch, but she's going to love the Cullens and eventually Bella. She won't know why, but we will! She's practically destined to be with them!**

**Again, filler chapter. I'm really just setting the scene and introducing people.**


	3. Honey, You're A God

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**That awkward moment when you're wearing Nikes and you **_**can't**_ **do it.**

* * *

"Oh my gods," I said, ungracefully throwing myself down at my chair. "You're back."

"What, miss me?" Edward asked, laughing a little. "You've never even properly met me."

"Hmm, no, but I've heard stories," I said, stealing an apple off Rosalie's tray. She didn't even blink. "Anyway, Bella's gonna kill you."

Emmett and Alice shared an amused look. Edward looked pained.

"I assure you, darl', Edward will be fine," Jasper droned. I couldn't work it out. Supposedly Rosalie and he were twins, but they had different accents.

I rolled my eyes. "Not physically. Bella's a timid mouse." Rosalie snorted. "But she's been going on and on about how rude you were to her, and how she's frightened for her life. It's ridiculous."

If possible, Edward's already pale face drained of all colour. So did Jasper's.

"What do you think?" Rosalie asked, catching my attention. She waved her fingers in front of me. "Should I do them hot pink or red?"

I took a moment to decide. "Try the red. I reckon it'd be nice contrast."

'Besides, red on blondes is hot," Emmett added. Rosalie groaned.

"I swear to God," she said, flicking her hair angrily. "Bad Emmett. No sex tonight."

I laughed, and Rosalie gave me a wink. "Is that how you trained him?" I asked.

"Mmhm. What about you?" I must've given her a blank look, because she quickly elaborated. "Any boyfriend experience?"

I frowned. "Not really. One or two. I didn't get out much."

She gave me a knowing look. "The boarding schools?"

"Yeah. Lets just say, most of the boys there were openly psychotic, and the others were closeted psychopaths."

I remembered one boy, Jackson, who I had dated for nearly a month, before he tried to kill me in the forest. That was at the school… two before London? Yeah. I accidentally freaked out, and set fire to a dried leaf under my bare foot. Needless to say, the woods soon caught ablaze, and I was sent packing to my next school.

I mentally shook my head to clear it of the memories.

"I better go," I said, flipping my sunglasses down and standing up. "I need to grab my books."

Edward looked like he might say something, but I walked off before he had the chance.

* * *

I gave Bella a half-smile when I entered the classroom. She was running her hand through her hair nervously, and kept looking up at the door.

I sat down at my table and warily watched Edward walk up to Bella and give her a lopsided smile.

"Hey," Angela said, sitting down next to me. "Did you hear about the dance?"

I nodded absently.

"It's girls choice, you know."

"I know," I said, turning my head so I could face her. I liked Angela, she was sweet like Bella, but had a more commanding personality. "Are you asking someone?"

She blushed a deep red. "I'd like to, but I think he'd say no."

"Who?"

"Ben." I frowned. I had no idea who that was. "He sits with Bella and Jess and I? Dark hair, tall, glasses?"

I vaguely remembered him. "I'm sure he'll say yes. You're a good girl."

"Yeah, but when I'm competing against Lauren and Jessica and even you…" she trailed off.

"Me?' I scoffed. "Hon, I promise you I won't steal your man. I'm many things, but I wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, but like, look at you," she said, gesturing towards me. I rolled my eyes. I knew I was hot, and I had that whole bad girl thing going on, but I just wasn't interested. "And then there's Lauren and Jessica, and I don't stand a chance."

"You're fine. You're tall, and have good legs," I said, losing interest in the conversation. Angela mumbled an embarrassed thanks.

"Are you going?"

"Hmm?"

"To the dance. Are you going?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I truly didn't know. On one hand, alcohol and punch, and on the other hand, people. Maybe I'd go if the Cullens went, just so I had someone interesting to talk to.

Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.

"Get started," he commanded. I groaned. This was boring as hell in the first place, and I had already done it. This would be a long class.

* * *

"Your sister is very nice," Edward said to me, as I waited for Rosalie to arrive. I was giving her notes from the classes I had already finished last year, the ones I'd have to redo next year when the school let me join people at my intellectual level. Seriously. This school was so behind. It had no APs, and you weren't allowed to skip. "But also very quiet."

"Isn't she?' I agreed. "Hey, Angel. Muscles."

"Hey, Shortcake," Emmett said, as he and Rosalie arrived hand in hand.

I pursued my lips. I wasn't _that_ short. I was taller than Alice, at least, even if it wasn't by much. Edward laughed loudly, and I turned to glare at him.

"It's not that funny a name," I snapped.

"Morgana! Hurry up!" Bella yelled from the other side of the parking lot. Because of the snow, I had to drive with her in the truck.

I gave her a little wave to let her know I saw her, and pulled the folder out of my bag and held it out for Rosalie.

She bit her lip. "Are you sure you won't need it?"

I laughed. "Of course I won't. I have like, four copies."

"Why?" Edward asked, confused.

"I don't know," I lied. It was because I hated history, and everytime I tried to read my notes I'd accidentally light them on fire, so I'd learnt to print out several copies. But obviously, I couldn't say that. This was before I realised gloves worked. That said, I was like a furnace, and sometimes I burnt through them.

"Morgana!" Bella yelled again. I turned to look at her, and just as I was about to answer, I heard a large screech.

A dark blue van was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of Bella's truck, and she was standing between them. I didn't even have time to blink, it was happening so fast.

I think I yelled a warning to her, and she turned just in time to see the truck just a second from her. She didn't have time to move, and I felt the blood rush in my head.

I'm pretty sure my knees buckled, and I was vaguely aware of Emmett holding me up as I let out a scream.

There was a shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, and I felt sick to my stomach. There was no way Bella survived that.

There were screams all around us. I wrenched myself out of Emmett's hold and ran over to the cars.

"Morgana, hold on," Rosalie called, chasing after me. I didn't stop.

People were pulling the car off the truck now, and I hugged myself tightly, fearing the worst.

"Don't move, Bella!" someone instructed, and I stared in confusion. Bella was lying in Edwards lap, and he was holding her cautiously. She was breathing heavily, but something told me it was more from adrenaline than actual pain. "Get Tyler out of the van."

My eyes snapped over to the window of Tyler's car, where his head was lolling out the window, glass splattered across his body from the windshield.

Rosalie caught up to me, and clutched me carefully. "Its okay," she whispered, whether to me or to herself I was unsure. "It'll be fine."

Bella tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand pushed her shoulder down. "Just stay put for now."

"But it's cold," she complained. I laughed softly.

Now that the main worry was gone, I was confused. How did Edward get here so fast? I was talking to him only seconds ago. I shook my head and tried to think. Surely it wasn't just seconds ago. Maybe he had left a minute or two ago to talk to Bella about Biology?

But no, that wasn't right. We were talking about Bella and then the nickname and then my notes. There was no way that he could have got here.

His head flicked up and he met my eyes. All I saw was pain and worry. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I couldn't. Not here, at least.

I could hear sirens now. Rosalie let me go and looked at me carefully.

"It's fine," she said in a cold voice, although I was sure she wasn't mad at me. Perhaps she was worried about Edward? "They're fine. Bella's okay."

Stretchers were brought in, and I almost laughed at Bella when I saw she was made to wear a neck brace. But then I saw Tyler, and I felt any amusement fade. He looked horrible, glass shards in his skin and blood splashes against his clothes.

Edward vehemently refused his stretcher told the EMTs that she'd hit her head and probably had a concussion.

Of course, then Dad arrived and he was very much _not_ looking like the calm police chief he was supposed to be.

"Bella!" he yelled in panic when he recognized her on the stretcher.

"I'm completely fine, Char — Dad," she sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me." He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion.

"C'mon," Rosalie said quietly, turning me away from the accident. "I'll take you to the hospital."

I nodded my thanks, but didn't say anything. She guided me to their car, a red BMW, and I got in silently. Alice and Jasper were in the back, and I felt my emotions calm down a little.

"Bella will be fine," Alice said with absolute certainty.

Rosalie drove, and we followed the ambulance at a fast pace. I said nothing when we arrived, and got out with almost robot-like actions.

"She's still in shock," Jasper whispered to Alice. I pretended I hadn't heard him.

"Ana," Dad, making me look up. He must've arrived here early with the police cruiser, and then spotted me hanging by the doors.

I looked back, noticing the Cullen kids, minus Edward, were still there. "Thanks," I muttered.

Rosalie smiled grimly. "Don't worry about it," she said.

I walked over to Dad and he tried to give me a one-armed hug. For once, I let him.

"Is she okay?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah."

We passed several rooms, before Dad pulled me into the Emergency area. Half hidden by a curtain was Tyler. Next to him was Bella, and I quickly ran over to Bella, giving her a hug.

"You stupid, stupid girl," I said, examining her face. Besides the general paleness, she looked untouched. Her brace was on the floor, and I figured she had removed it as soon as she could.

"Aw, look at that," she said, her lips tugging up. "You do care."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring her comment.

"Good afternoon, Miss Swan," said a heavenly voice behind me. "How are you feeling?"

I turned around, and was faced with what must be an actual angel sent to walk on earth. He was young, he was blond… and he was handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes, and I desperately wanted to get to know him. I somehow instantly knew this was Carlisle Cullen, and I blinked quickly. This was not the time to ogle.

"Fine," Bella said behind me.

He walked to the lightboard on the wall over my head, and turned it on. "Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."

Bella scowled.

Carlisle trailed his fingers across her head, and I felt a surge of jealousy that I quickly pushed down.

"Tender?" he asked.

"Not really."

"Well, your father is in the waiting room — you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."

'_Please, Bella, let's come back here,_' I thought like a love-sick puppy. I frowned at the thought.

"Can't I go back to school?" Bella asked.

"Maybe you should take it easy today," he said, but he sounded distracted. "Take some Tylenol for the pain."

"It doesn't hurt that bad," she insisted.

"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr Cullen said, smiling as he signed her chart with a flourish.

"Lucky Edward happened to be standing next to me," Bella amended. I frowned again. Surely she realised Edward was nowhere near her at the time.

"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him.

"Dr Cullen," I started, drawing his attention towards me.

"Call me Carlisle," he said with a soft smile. "And you must be Morgana?"

I nodded. "Yes. Is there anything to watch out for?"

He paused. "Try to make sure Isabella doesn't sleep for a few hours. She might want to, but it'll be better if she doesn't."

"Okay. No sleep. Anything else?"

"No strenuous activities, but that's it."

I grabbed Bella's bag and held her steady as she got out of the hospital bed. She stumbled, and I almost fell over with her weight suddenly forced upon me, but Carlisle's cool hands stopped me. I gave him a smile, and I blushed.

"Thanks," I said. I gave him one last look before Bella and I exited the room, only to find Edward waiting outside. "Ah, the hero," I mocked. "We need to talk."

He looked worried, and I sat Bella down on a chair, but she got back just as fast.

"I want to talk to him too," she said, and I instantly understood. She was confused by his heroic act too.

"Your father is waiting for you," he said through his teeth.

"He can wait," I said, firmly.

He glared, and then turned his back and strode down the long room. Bella and I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, he spun around to face us.

"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold. His unfriendliness intimidated me.

"You owe me an explanation," Bella said meekly.

"I saved your life — I don't owe you anything."

"You promised."

"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting.

"She did, but I didn't," I reminded him. "I was talking to you on the other side of the parking lot just seconds before the accident."

He glared at me again. 'You remember wrong. You were in shock."

"No, I remember perfectly well. We were talking while I waited for Rosalie."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"

"Thank you," Bella said. I waited, fuming and expectant.

"Neither of you are going to let it go, are you?"

"No," I said firmly.

"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment." We scowled at each other in silence.

"Why did you even bother?" Bella asked frigidly. He paused, and for a brief moment his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable.

"I don't know," he whispered. And then he turned his back on us and walked away.

I was so angry with him, it took me a few minutes until I could move. I understood keeping a secret better than anyone else, but my power was evil, and dark. His had just been used for good.

I told Bella I'd catch up with her, and we spoilt ways. Her to go to Dad, and me to chase after Edward.

"Stop," I said, when I caught up to him. "What you did was strange, and supernatural even."

He didn't say anything, and he kept walking.

"Edward, _stop."_

He still kept walking. I ran up to him, pulled off my glove and forcefully put my hand against his wrist, and made my hand heat up. He jerked his arm back, and he looked at me strangely.

"You're not the only one with secrets, Edward," I said. "I need to know how to stop this, and if you had any bit of compassion in you you'd help, and I know you do because you saved Bella and risked your secret being exposed."

My voice was rising now, and I pulled my glove back on hurriedly.

"I can't help you," he said quietly, but there was still something he wasn't telling me.

"Do you know who can?"

He wouldn't look at me, choosing instead to look down at the ground. I stomped my foot, but knew I wouldn't get anything more out of him, so I stormed my way back to Dad and Bella.

That night, I dreamt of raging fires and floods and most strangest of all, Carlisle Cullen.

* * *

**Thank you so so much for the reviews! **

**I'm so very glad to hear I'm going at a nice, decent pace - be sure to tell me if I mess up.**

**I can't express how much I love hearing what I'm doing right and wrong, so be sure to comment on the story.**


	4. Honey, What Are You?

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**God said that good women could be found in all four corners of the world. Then he made the world round and laughed.**

The next few weeks of Forks went very simply. Wake up, dress, scare Dad with my makeup, go to school, awkwardly ignore Edward, have a tense lunch with the the Cullens, go home, ignore homework, occasionally do assessment, (mainly by finding old ones), help make dinner, and then dream of Carlisle.

Seriously.

That's all I thought of when I went to bed. And then, eventually at day.

It's like wherever I went, Carlisle invaded. And I meant that in the kindest way possible. He was like my sun. My day revolved around him, which was absolutely pathetic, considering I had met the man once, and he had to be like ten years older than me.

I also found time to laugh at Bella's expense. She was very shy, and yet she found herself at the center of the whole school's attention.

Tyler Crowley was impossible, following her around, obsessed with making amends to me somehow. She tried to convince him what I wanted more than anything else was for him to forget all about it — especially since nothing had actually happened to her — but he remained insistent. He followed her between classes and sat at our now-crowded lunch table. Mike and Eric were even less friendly toward him than they were to each other, which made her worry that she'd gained another unwelcome fan.

I felt like I bore the worst of it, though. Every day Bella came home and complained, and like the good sister I was, I put up with it for a minute, and then ran upstairs. Then she followed me.

During school, I had the most fun. When Tyler realised his apologies were getting nowhere with Bella, he decided I'd be perfect to relay them on to her. This meant I now had both my bitch face and my insults perfected. Unfortunately, I had singed the insides of four pairs of gloves.

No one seemed concerned about Edward, though Bella explained over and over that he was the hero — how he had pulled her out of the way and had nearly been crushed, too. She tried to be convincing.

Most people always commented that they hadn't even seen him there till the van was pulled away. I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my sister's life.

Edward was never surrounded by crowds of curious bystanders eager for his firsthand account. People avoided him as usual. No one approached our table, except perhaps Bella to politely tell me mum texted to ask me to call her.

When he sat next to me at our table, as far from me as the space would allow, he seemed totally unaware of my presence. Only now and then, when his fists would suddenly ball up — skin stretched even whiter over the bones — did I wonder if he wasn't quite as oblivious as he appeared. He wished he hadn't pulled Bella from the path of Tyler's van — there was no other conclusion I could come to.

He regretted saving her, because she and I both realised there was something off about him. Of course, I had the brains to realize that the others were as much apart of the secret as him, but I knew if I acknowledged that, then that meant Carlisle didn't want me to know either, and I couldn't live with that.

"You should come with us," Alice said, breaking my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I asked, completely lost. She laughed her tinkling laugh.

"To the dance," she said simply. I stared at her in shock. "Oh, I can see it now, there's a nice black dress with blue highlights, it'd go so well with you hair."

I frowned. Sometimes I liked Alice, and other times she was a bit too preppy for my tastes. So was Rosalie, but she downplayed it.

"I don't think so," I started. "I don't like the whole dancing thing very much."

"You really should come," Rosalie said. "You can come to our place and get ready, and then sleep over. We'll make a night of it."

I thought it over. "Won't your parents mind?"

I was still confused about that. Esme and Carlisle lived together and raised five kids together, but were siblings. I mean, in a way it made sense, it was just a bit orthodox.

"I'm sure Esme won't," assured Alice.

"And neither will Carlisle," Jasper said with a wry smile.'

"I'll talk to Dad," I said. "As long as it's okay with you guys for me to completely crash your dates."

Emmett laughed. "You're fine, shortcake."

"Hey Ana," someone said behind me. I turned, a scowl on my face.

"What, Mike?" I asked, recognising the pervy boy. "And don't call me that."

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, fingering something behind his back.

"I don't know, can you?" It wasn't my wittiest remark, but I didn't have the effort to put into coming up with something different.

He fumbled for words, and decided to just ignore that comment. "Outside?" he added, nodding his head to the pathway leading to one of the buildings. It had a nice tree, but was otherwise uninteresting.

"No," I said shortly. "You can say it here."

He looked taken aback. "Oh, um, right."

"Got on with it," laughed Emmett. He seemed to take great pride in making him nervous, and he was likely very amused by my situation.

"So there's a dance soon..."

"Yes."

"It's in two weeks…"

"I'm aware."

"_Wouldyouliketogotothedancewithme?_" He asked that very quickly, and I only heard _dance _and _me_.

"What?"

"Ana Swan,-"

"-I told you not to call me that.-"

"-will you go to the dance with me?" He got down on one knee and gave me a rose that he had hidden behind his back.

I took it gingerly, and then gave it back to him, ignoring his crushed expression. "No, I'm going stag." _Unless Carlisle invited me. _Behind me, both Jasper and Emmett passed Alice money.

"But-but you have to go with me!" he shrieked, getting back up off the floor.

"I don't have to do anything," I said, my voice getting dangerously low. I clenched my hands tightly, and focused on cooling them down.

"Yes, you do," he countered.

"Firstly, it's girls choice, and-"

"So ask me!"

"-and secondly, I don't have to go with anyone, especially not _you_," I spat. "Go sit down somewhere else."

"No, I won't!" His voice raised, and I rolled my eyes, disinterested.

"Are you planning to eat that?" I asked, reaching over and tapping Jasper's mouse with my spoon. I swear, none of them ever ate. He handed it to me without question.

Mike spluttered, and literally stomped his foot. "Look at me!"

I ignored him, but in front of me I noticed Rosalie and Emmett both clutched tightly onto the table, molding it slightly under their holds. I tried to push that to the back of my mind.

Mike gripped my shoulder harshly, intending to make me to turn and look at him. I did that, and a little more.

The second his hand touched me, I saw red, and I stood up quickly, knocking him off balance as I rammed my chair into his legs.

"Ow!" he whimpered. "You bitch!"

I grabbed the hand that was still on my shoulder, and pulled it around, flipping him around so he was now beant over the chair, his arm twisted awkwardly behind his back. He whimpered loudly, and I held him down tighter.

"Don't call me a bitch, and _don't_ touch me," I said into his ear. "Got it?"

"Get off me!"

"_Got it?"_

"Okay, okay! I get it! Now get off me!"

I released his hold, and he scampered off, most likely to go cry in the bathroom. I sat back down at the table, and opened the mouse as though nothing was wrong. I completely ignored Alice's horrified expression, and started eating.

"Morgana Swan!" yelled someone I thought sounded significantly older than I. I groaned and raised my hand.

"Here!" I said, still eating. I turned, and realised I was right. Principal Greene stormed towards me, his face going red and purple.

"You're coming with me, young lady!"

I rolled my eyes, but got up anyway. "I'll see you later," I said to the group. My eyes caught Edward, and I knew he noticed the smokey smell coming from me. He looked at me, before dropping his face.

"You better," Rosalie said, though her voice was kinda blank. "We have to discuss the sleepover."

I nodded once, before catching up with Greene.

"You are in _so_ much trouble, right now," he muttered, as we walked into the teacher's office. Mike was sitting there, an icepack to his arm, and he flashed me a triumphant grin. I glared at him, and he shrunk back.

"For what?" I asked innocently.

"You attacked a student, Swan," he said, sitting down at his desk. "You're lucky I don't call the police. As it is, Mr and Mrs Newton can still press charges."

"For what?" I repeated.

"We know your history, Swan, but we still took you on. A dozen schools, nearly all of them kicking you out after you blew them up or set fire to something. Three murders, all excused because of your mental state."

I flinched.

"You are very lucky I don't expel you."

"For what?" I asked again, pausing between the words. "If you know my history, than you know I don't like people touching me. He asked me out. I said no. He got angry, I ignored it. He tried to turn me around, I defended myself."

"Defend? From what?"

"He tried to forcefully turn me around, _sir_. Forgive me for not finding that aggressive."

"You may have broken his arm."

"I'm quite sure I didn't."

"We've called his parents, and they're insisting on having a doctor come check."

_Please be Carlisle._ "Can't the nurse do it?"

"No. They insist on a doctor." _Please be Carlisle. _

"Harold?" came through the tinny voice of the secretary on the phone. "Dr Cullen is here." _Yes!_

"That was fast," Greene said. "We'll discuss punishment after Dr Cullen examines Mr Newton. You can stay here." _Damn._ "On second thought, I don't trust you. Follow me." _Thank god!_

"Hello again, Miss Swan," Carlisle said when we re-entered the communal office. His expression was strange; it was a mix of pride, amusement, and, was that, love?

"Hello, Dr Cullen," I said, smiling in a dazed kind of way.

"You can call me Carlisle, I've said that before."

"Then you can call me Morgana."

Behind us, Greene coughed, interrupting our moment. I rolled my eyes and glared at Mike. "Stop crying," I snapped. His sniffles were getting on my nerves, and I knew he was milking it.

Carlisle strode over and started examining Mike's arm. My stomach lurched. For a moment I thought perhaps maybe I _had_ broken his arm, and the what would Carlisle think of me? But then I remember I didn't care what people thought, and I told my stomach to stop being annoying. It growled hungrily in response.

"It appears to be fine," Carlisle said. "Perhaps some minor bruising around the wrist, but nothing else."

"See," I said to Greene. "No blood, no foul."

"Just because it's not broken doesn't mean you'll get out of trouble."

"For what? Self-defence?"

Mike moaned loudly. I had to fight against the urge to go over and punch him just to shut him up.

Greene stared at me. "For now, we will hold off against any major consequences, but be warned, we will be watching you closely. And you will need to apologise to Mr Newton."

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm sorry," _that I didn't break your bone, "_and I acted completely out of line." _in my efforts to get you to take your freaking hand off me._

"That will be sufficient. Go to class."

I nodded. "Nice to see you, Doctor."

I made my way to double English in a daze. I didn't even realize when I first walked in that class had already started. "Thank you for joining us, Miss Swan," Mr. Mason said in a disparaging tone. I glared but still hurried to my seat next to at the front.

When class ended, Bella cornered me. "What were you thinking?" she hissed. I almost felt bad for worrying her, but any of those feelings disappeared within a moment.

"I was thinking he needed to grow up and get his fucking hands off me."

"You could've just said yes, you know," she said, as if it was as simple as that.

"Excuse me?" I asked, pissed off. "Why would I say yes to that pig? When I said no, he completely flipped. Imagine being in a relationship with him. He'd never let me go."

"Imagine being in a relationship with _you_, a girl who tried to snap someone's arm because they put their hand on your shoulder!"

"He tried to force me to turn around. He was already having a tantrum, excuse me if I felt like I needed to defend myself," I said seethingly.

"Oh my god, we get it, alright! You want to make everyone out to be the bad guy, can't trust anyone, not even me, your older sister! Ugh!"

People were staring now. I pulled my jacket closer, feeling uncomfortable.

"I trust you," I said quietly.

"Do you? Cause for the last nine years you've rarely spoken to me," she said. I felt a twinge of guilt.

"I've been away for nine years, excuse me if the one week every three months doesn't leave for much bonding time," I snapped.

"Yeah, and whose fault is it for being sent away?"

"You're unbelievable."

I pushed past her, heading for the library, blinking back the tears in my eyes.

"Hey, Morgana!" Rosalie yelled as I passed by her locker. I pretended not to hear her. "Morgana!"

I kept walking, and Rosalie kept following. "Morgana, none of us are mad or care or anything like that," she said, pulling onto my arm. I tried to jerk it back, and she let me.

I went left, then right, then left again. I ducked into a corridor, and then into a science room. Rosalie kept following.

"Just leave me alone," I snapped, backing up.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not good for you to be around."

"What?" She sounded surprised. "Is this about Mike? Cause I thought that was great."

"No! Yes, maybe? I don't know." My thoughts were whirring around. "Look, I know there's something different about you guys. And Edward, at least, knows there's something wrong about me too."

She kept quiet so I kept talking.

"So if you guys know anything about the supernatural, you'd try to help me. But you won't, so clearly whatever I can do it really, _really_ bad, and you don't want to get close."

Rosalie looked stumped. "It's, it's not that. It's just… not something we can explain over tea and biscuits."

"Forget it."

I stormed past her and through the school, ignoring the looks people sent me. I think it was time for biology, but I didn't bother worrying. I couldn't deal with school today, and besides, sometimes it was healthy to ditch.

I noticed Edward sitting in his volvo, but I ignored him completely.

I pulled my hair into a tight bun, and got on my bike. I didn't know where I was heading, and I was going well above the speed limit, but I didn't care. It was raining slightly, but I kept going. It was only when the slight patter of droplets turned to heavy falls that I stopped driving.

I was at a beach or something, with high cliffs off to the side and clear blue water. Checking my phone, I saw it was almost 3. I had been riding for nearly and hour. School would be finished soon.

I tugged off my boots, and pulled off my clothes till I was left standing in my underwear, which would make for a perfect fake bikini. I hadn't gone swimming in the ocean for years, and there was no way I was going to miss this chance.

I dived straight in, ignoring the cold, and swam with the fishes. Seriously. There were fish everywhere. The first few times they bumped against my feet I squealed, but soon after I got used to them.

It was only after someone clapped loudly that I realised there were others in the area. Jumping off the cliffs were a group of boys, each doing flips in the air before diving perfectly into the water and then resurfacing.

"They're crazy, aren't they?" called a girl sitting on the beach drinking some knock-off alcohol.

"Not at all," I said, shaking my hair wildly like a dog. At some point during my swimming it had come undone and now had knots all through it. "It looks awesome."

"I'm Leah," the girl said.

"Morgana."

"Swan?" she asked, before picking up her own hair and twirling it. "Stupid question."

"Yeah. You're Leah Clearwater, right?" At her nod, I kept going. "Dad fishes with Harry."

"You have to come, it's so much fun," she said seriously, before bursting into laugh. "Dad drags me along every time, and it's the most boring ass thing I've ever done."

"I can imagine."

I walked out of the water and picked up my jeans and shimmed into them, and put on my singlet, ignoring my jacket and leaving that with my shoes.

I came and sat down next to her when she patted the sand next to her.

"Do they do that often?" I asked, referring to the cliff-jumpers.

"Sometimes. All the boys reckon they're big hotshots cause of the legends."

"Legends?"

"Yeah," she leaned in close, as if she was going to share something really important. "It's technically a rez secret, but you have ties to the family."

"Does that mean you're gonna tell me what they are?"

She paused. "Sure. I honestly don't know why they're so secret - they're just legends, right?"

"Duh. None of that supernatural stuff exists." _Except for me and the Cullens…_

"Exactly. Do you like scary stories?"

I gave her a deadpan look. She laughed loudly, tossing back her dark brown hair. She was quite pretty. She rocked the badass look, but she didn't have to wear the clothes to back it up. I was kinda jealous. I had an innocent looking face, so if I wore something white, people tended to not care about if I was glaring at them or not.

"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood — supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark." She smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves — and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them."

"Is that why the boys reckon they're the hotshots? They think they're gonna turn into big wolves?"

"Something like that. Then there are the stories about the cold ones." Her voice dropped a little lower.

"The cold ones?" I asked, my mind flicking to the Cullens.

"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, Jacob Black's great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." She rolled his eyes.

"Really?" I encouraged.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf—well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."

"Werewolves have enemies?"

"Only one."

I stared at her earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration.

"So you see," Leah continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did — they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So Black made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." She winked at me.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why… ?" I tried to understand, struggling not to let her see how seriously I was considering her ghost story.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." She deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into her tone.

"What do you mean, 'civilized'?"

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

I tried to keep my voice casual. "And your people still believe that they're around?"

"Yeah. That's why the Cullens aren't allowed on our land."

"Why? Are they related or something? Are they like the cold ones Chief Black met?"

"No." She paused dramatically. "They are the same ones."

**Review Please!**

**Yay! Morgana's getting closer to the truth! And she saw Carlisle again!**

**I'm going to warn you now, the relationship between Carlisle and Morgana is going to be a very, _very_, slow romance. If it goes the way I have planned, they'll probably have their first kiss in Eclipse. This is because she's basically gonna end up being a mopey, self-hating Edward.**


	5. Honey, You Scare Me

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Fight like you're the third monkey trying to get on Noah's Ark.**

"I'm sorry," Bella said, following me up to my room. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Okay."

"But I get it now. Rosalie talked to me. Well, more threatened me, but yeah."

"Good for you." I sat down on my bed and started peeling off my jeans that were damp with salt water. Next to come was my shirt, and Bella dutifully turned when I shut the curtains and began changing my underwear to something dry. "Now pass the towel."

She leant over to the bathroom opposite my room and grabbed a fluffy pink one, passing it blindly over to me. I probably would've laughed, but I was still pissed. I roughly dried my hair and rubbed up and down my legs, getting rid of little drops of saltwater and sweat.

"...So Edward talked to me today," she said, striking up another conversation when I finished changing. I flopped against my bed, holding my hands out in front of me. The polish was chipping off - I'd have to redo it. Maybe dark purple this time?

"Yeah?" I tried to disguise my curiosity - I was kinda interested in their strange relationship.

"Mhmm. We were blood typing in biology and I felt really, really sick, so Mike took me to the nurses office, where Edward met up with me and drove me home."

"Wait, Edward? Edward Cullen?" I asked, sitting straight up so fast I swear all my bones cracked.

"Who else?" she laughed, glad I was no longer mad at her.

"As in, Edward Cullen the guy who hates you, has a big family, adopted?"

"Yes." She looked at me carefully. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I said, brushing her worry off. "Edward, one of the Cullens, missed biology class, the same class where you were blood-typing?"

"Yes, I said that. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, fine," I said, getting up and pushing her out of my room. "I just remembered I have an English assignment due tomorrow."

"No, but, you never care-"

I shut the door in her face, and locked it for good measure. I went over to my window and slammed it down as much as it would go, and shut the curtains again.

I had to get out of the house, but there was nowhere I wanted to go that didn't involve a three-day drive. I pulled on my boots anyway, unclear where I was headed for the second time that day, and went downstairs. I shrugged into my raincoat without checking the weather and stomped out the door.

It was overcast, but not raining yet. I ignored my bike and started east on foot, angling across Dad's yard toward the ever-encroaching forest.

It didn't take long till I was deep enough for the house and the road to be invisible, for the only sound to be the squish of the damp earth under my feet and the sudden cries of the jays.

There was no path, but I had already gone this way before, in the first weekend of Forks. I knew there was a nice little clearing soon, a good place to sit and think.

I reached it quickly, and was (as always) breathless at the beautiful sight. It was as much out of a fairytale as one could get. There was a shallow pond, with cool blue water, and a little stream running out and through it. The grass was spongy and green, and there were tiny fairy rings every few steps.

All the myths and legends of a hundred different lands seemed much more likely in this sanctuary than they had in my clear-cut bedroom. I forced myself to focus on the two most vital questions I had to answer, but I did so unwillingly. First, I had to decide if it was possible that what Leah had said about the Cullens could be true.

Immediately my mind responded with a resounding negative. It was silly and morbid to entertain such ridiculous notions. But what, then? I asked myself. There was no rational explanation for how I was alive at this moment.

"Right, think Morgana. Cold ones. Blood-typing. Hunting humans. Hunting animals. Blood-typing. Never eat." I sat down at my chair and brought my knees up to my chest. "Blood-typing. Hunting. Food. Blood. _Blood. _Shit."

I couldn't bring myself to say the word out loud, but I could think it.

'_Vampire.'_

No, but that was crazy right? There was no way vampires were real. But a little nagging voice in the back of my head said; '_There's no way you're real, either.'_

'_But that's different,' _I told myself. '_I don't eat humans.'_

I listed again in my head the things I'd observed myself: the impossible speed and strength, the eye color shifting from black to gold and back again, the inhuman beauty, the pale, frigid skin. And more — small things that registered slowly — how they never seemed to eat, the disturbing grace with which they moved.

Could the Cullens be vampires? Well, they were _something_. Something outside the possibility of normal realms was making itself known to me. But then again, that had been happening my whole life.

So then — maybe. That would have to be my answer for now. And then the most important question of all. What was I going to do if it was true?

If the Cullens (Carlisle, especially) were vampires — I could hardly make myself think the words — then what should I do? Involving someone else was definitely out. I could barely believe myself; anyone I told would have me committed. Again.

I could kill them, of course, if worse came to worst, but I don't think I could bring myself to do that. And besides, what would my fire do to them? Would it be like a breese, cool and calm, or would it act upon them like it had against my old foes and schools?

Only two options seemed practical. The first was to take my own advice, leave them to be and hope they never realise I knew.

I was gripped in a sudden agony of despair as I considered that alternative. My mind rejected the pain, quickly skipping on to the next option. I could do nothing different. After all, if they were something… sinister, they'd done nothing to hurt me so far.

In fact, Bella would be a dent in Tyler's fender if Edward hadn't acted so quickly. So quickly, I argued with myself, that it might have been sheer reflexes. But if it was a reflex to save lives, how bad could he be? I retorted.

And what if they could help me? I could ask them to kill me, keep my loved ones safe from my flames. They'd be left with the memory of a girl with a few issues, but even then they'd soon forget them and only remember my good parts.

My head spun around in answerless circles.

I left the woods more confused than before. I half-heartedly decided to ignore them, and go from there.

"How was your walk? Finish your assessment?" Bella asked when I got back home, a rare twinkle in her eyes.

"Mmhm."

"What was it on?"

"...The philosophical belief on whether or not we have free will."

"Funny," she said, shaking slightly with silent laughter. "I don't remember being assigned that one."

"You must've missed it."

"Right. By the way, we're having fish for dinner. Charlie's bringing some home."

"Of course he is," I groaned, pulling off my boots and placing them by the door. Ever since I had arrived here, it was fish, fish, oh look, more fish.

"Make yourself useful," Bella said, passing me a knife and then tossing me a tomato. Being Bella, she misjudged her aim completely, and I had to reach to catch the tomato as it soared above my head. I dropped the knife, and didn't register it until I felt a sharp pain in my foot, the blade embedding itself in me.

It was a totally Bella move, and I felt like an idiot, but my heart sped up at the idea of seeing Carlisle. Then it sped up even faster as I realised I knew what he was.

"Shit, M," Bella swore, rushing to my side.

"Go get the car ready," I said, gritting my teeth through the pain.

"But you're bleeding!" she shrieked.

"Well spotted. Now go get the car and a towel. I don't need you passing out on me from the sight of blood."

She hesitated, before rushing up stairs and grabbing a towel for me. I didn't know how it was bleeding so much - it was just a small veggie knife, but there was quite a bit of blood gushing out and I began to feel sick.

"Okay, okay, here." She passed me my dirty pink towel and I growled at her, but took at anyway.

It stung like a bitch, the saltwater touching the wound, but I still pulled out the knife and then quickly wrapped my foot, leaning against the counter for support.

"Hospital," I said to Bella, my breath short. It was actually very painful. She let me lean against her and I hobbled to the door, bending down and picking up a pair of Dad's thongs as we went out.

The drive was fast, and I was grateful for it. We got into the ER, and the nurses o stand recognised at us once. Me with my blue hair, and Bella with her reputation of being a klutz.

"Oh my," one of them said, pulling me along to one of the rooms.

"Hi Nurse Shell," Bella said cheerfully. Clearly she knew the lady from previous incidents.

I felt the hairs on my neck stand up, and I forced myself not to turn as I heard Carlisle's cool voice.

"I'll take this one, Sharon."

She blushed heavily and fluttered her eyelashes. I fought against the urge to bite her or possibly puke.

"Dr Cullen," she said flirtatiously. "I didn't know you were on call."

"I just got here," he said politely, before firmly adding; "I'll take it from here."

"Right. Well girls, you're in good hands now." She gave one last wink before hurrying off.

"What a coincidence, Morgana, seeing you again today. Did Mike retaliate?"

I felt rather self-conscious in that moment. I was wearing a baggy sweater, and short-shorts, and one oversized thong. My hair was finally dry, but it was in a messy bun, and I had strands hanging down my face that were in no way artsy or fashionable. But I summoned up my courage, and turned to face _Carlisle the Vampire._

_Pain. Blood. Vampire._

"Not quite. I had a fight with a knife, and clearly I lost," I said, rolling my eyes. I wanted to bring a scowl onto my face, but both the pain and Carlisle's presence made me want to prevent it.

_Pain. Blood. Vampire._

"What she means is, karma got to her," Bella laughed. My strange happy mood was over, and I glared full-force at Bella. She gulped, and amended it. "Sorry, M."

I rolled my eyes.

"Right, well, in here, please."

Carlisle directed us to a room with several IVs and various other medical things I in no way understood, besides the height chart and weight scale off to the side.

I sat down on the chair, and gingerly removed the towel at his nod. I was waiting for him to start sucking my blood, or bite my neck, but it never came.

He just examined my foot like an ordinary doctor.

"It's bleeding quite a bit," Carlisle said. I looked to my side, and saw Bella's pasty skin. Carlisle followed my eyes, and frowned. "Why don't you take a breather? Edward mentioned you weren't a big fan of blood."

He gave a chuckle, and I shuddered. "Cold?" he asked, concerned.

"No," I said. My jumper was pretty warm.

"I'm going to call Dad, so he doesn't worry when he gets home and finds us missing with a blood-stained knife on the floor." Bella gave me a tight-lipped smile and walked out the room.

"And you just hit it with a knife?"

"Hmm?"

"Your foot. You stabbed it with a knife?"

"Yeah. I bleed a lot."

I was like a perfect vampire snack. My body literally was full of blood.

He stared into my eyes, and I felt my heart clench. How could this beautiful, compassionate man be such a restless monster? It didn't make sense.

"Make sure you rest that foot."

I nodded slightly, and he held out his hand. I took it, and he pulled me up from my sitting spot.

"You know," he said quietly, as he leant against the door, "someone doesn't _have_ to be injured for us to meet."

I kept walking out, but then I smirked. "But it's oh-so much more fun."

And I could hear his soft laugh rebound from behind me down the hall.

**I'm 90% sure I want Morgana to turn into a vampire, but you are all very welcome to tell me what you want and see if you can tip the scales!**

**Review, please!**

**I'm really sorry that this is a shorter chapter, but it was an important one.**

**I just want to warn you that I may not update as regularly for the next 2 weeks, as I'm entering Exam/Assessment block and have a lot less time. Believe me, I would much rather be here on Fanfiction than doing exams, but I don't really have a choice.**

**Second, I'm writing this as I go, so I'll generally mention it, but if something doesn't make sense, it's because I've changed a bit of backstory or something. This also means I'm writing a chapter every 1-2 nights, so please don't get mad with time waits.**

**This also means things might change future wise, so maybe I'll have Morgana turn into a leprechaun and kiss Carlisle in Twilight. I say that so you know nothing is set in stone. That said, it is pretty much a big part of my plan to have them get together (romantically) end of New Moon to start of Eclipse, but they'll begin becoming good friends (most likely) around Bella's first visit to the Cullen house.**


	6. Honey, I Like The Power

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**With great power comes great electricity bills.**

"Are you sure you're alright now?" Dad asked again.

"Yes. Dr Cullen bandaged me, and I'm okay to go to school and stuff as long as I don't take it off."

"It's true," Bella piped up from the kitchen.

"Good." Dad was quiet for a moment, and I rolled my eyes. I knew he wanted to say something. "So… What happened with Newton?"

There it was.

"He tried to ask me out, I said no, he threw a tantrum, I ignored it, he put his hand on my shoulder, and I flipped him around."

I could see the cop and the father in him were battling it out. "That's it?"

"Yes."

"No arson? No death-threats?"

"Not this time."

He was quiet again. "Okay. I believe you."

I was surprised. I was sure with my track record, he'd instantly assume I was in the wrong. That and he probably knew Newton better than he knew me.

"So, Morgana," Bella started, bringing out cooked salmon with salad and placing it on the table. "Angela, Jessica, Lauren and I are going dress shopping this weekend for the dance. Wanna come?"

"You're going to the dance?" Dad asked, a frown on his face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh _I'm _not, but Morgana is."

He looked at me with a hurt expression, and I shrugged.

"I don't even know if I'll go anymore. I was planning to crash with the Cullens, but we had a, um, falling out."

I mean, what actually happened is I figured they were vampires, and I didn't need any of that shit in my life, but same thing.

"But will you come with us?" Bella asked again.

"Lauren and Jessica?"

"And Angela. And me, if that counts for something."

I pursued my lips. I hated Jessica and lauren - they were the exact definition of bitchy gossipers, but Angela was nice. And I _did_ want to connect with Bella…

"Okay," I said finally. Bella squealed.

"I didn't know you liked shopping, Bells," Dad said.

"Oh I don't. But I _am_ excited to go out."

* * *

I woke, for the second time since arriving in Forks, to the bright yellow light of a sunny day. I almost skipped to the window, stunned to see that there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and those there were just fleecy little white puffs that couldn't possibly be carrying any rain.

I opened the window, and sucked in the relatively dry air. It was nearly warm and hardly windy at all. My blood was electric in my veins.

Taking advantage of the cool yet sunny day, I dressed in a dress, a rare occurrence for me. It was tight around my chest, and flared out at the hips, little metal studs dotted along the seams. I had on my boots, (which were a little tight on my injured foot, but bearable), and a little belt. I was looking almost… preppy? Ew.

Dad was finishing breakfast when I came downstairs, and he picked up on my mood immediately. "Nice day out," he commented.

"Yes," I agreed with a small grin. He smiled back, his brown eyes crinkling around the edges. When Dad smiled, it was easier to see why he and my mother had jumped too quickly into an early marriage.

Most of the young romantic he'd been in those days had faded before I'd known him, as the curly brown hair — the same color, if not the same texture, as mine — had dwindled, slowly revealing more and more of the shiny skin of his forehead. But when he smiled I could see a little of the man who had run away with Renée when she was just three years older than I was now.

I ate breakfast cheerily, watching the dust moats stirring in the sunlight that streamed in the back window. Dad called out a goodbye, and I heard the cruiser pull away from the house. I hesitated on my way out the door, hand on my leather jacket. I wondered if it was too warm for it, but figured it'd at least be good on my bike with the harsh winds.

I was one of the first ones to school; I hadn't even checked the clock in my hurry to get outside, Bella having already left and me thinking it was much later than it was. I parked and headed toward the seldom-used picnic benches on the south side of the cafeteria.

The benches were still a little damp, so I sat on my jacket, glad to have a use for it. My homework was undone, but I really didn't care. I decided to put on my music, and started drawing absentmindedly.

I sketched inattentively along the margins of my textbook. After a few minutes, I suddenly realized I'd drawn five pairs of dark eyes staring out of the page at me. I scrubbed them out with the eraser.

"Morgana!" I heard someone call, and it sounded like Angela. I looked around to realize that the school had become populated while I'd been sitting there. Everyone was in t-shirts, some even in shorts though it was forecasted to grow colder today.

Angela was coming toward me in shorts and a striped shirt, waving.

I waved back, unable to be half hearted on a morning like this. She came to sit by me, her ebony streaks on hair singing in the light, her grin stretching across her face. She was so delighted to see me, I couldn't help but feel amused.

"Are you okay? You just disappeared yesterday after, well, - I was really worried!" she said, taking my gloved hands in hers and holding them tightly.

"That's… sweet," I said, inwardly rolling my eyes. But I couldn't be mad at Angela's worry and concern.

"I never noticed before — you always wear gloves," she commented, looking confused. She pulled them off before I could stop her, and I saw her breath catch when she saw my palms. "Morgana… what happened?"

My palms had little scorch marks, and scars from burns. The middle of my hand was worse, and looked like it had fresh burns. None of it hurt, but it wasn't pretty. Whenever I used fire (fire, not heat) the skin the fire came through singed, even if it didn't actually affect my health.

I decided she could handle the truth, well, some of it, and if she couldn't then I didn't want to be friends with her.

"I have a lot of issues, so I was sent to some… _special_ schools. Institutions, actually. I have a thing with fire," I laughed morbidly. "I burnt a lot of them down."

She looked a little horrified, and she scooted back on the seet. "To be fair," I added. "They were more like really illegal asylums pretending to be schools."

"I don't know if that makes it better or worse, actually," she said. She gave me a soft smile, which I returned. "I'm, I'm sorry that happened."

"Me too."

The bell rang, and we went to class. I wasn't glad that she now knew, but I was glad she didn't hate me.

In Spanish, Jessica drove me crazy. She moved seats and came to sit right next to me, ignoring my books that were scattered across that desk. She was excited I was coming dress shopping, and that I was going to the dance. She didn't seem to understand that my eye rolling, harsh glares and snarky comments meant I didn't want to talk to her.

When we went to English, she found Bella and hounded _her_ with questions till class finally ended, five minutes late, and we were on our way to lunch.

I sat at our at my table, patiently waiting for the others to arrive, listening to music on my phone. And then it hit me. They weren't here. I hadn't seen their flashy cars in the parking lot, I hadn't seen Alice in English, and Rosalie hadn't once talked to me about her newest car. They weren't here.

I felt ill, suddenly, the realisation of their absence hitting me hard. It was a sunny day. Emmett hadn't mentioned any family plans, and Jasper didn't appear at all sick yesterday. And again, it was a sunny day.

I already knew they were vampires, the news shouldn't surprise me, but it did, because some part of me still wanted to pretend I was just a silly little girl trying to play make-believe with the goblins and the faeries.

The rest of my day passed in daze. I went to drama, barely participated, making my teacher ask if I was okay, and then I went to PE, where Bella accidentally smacked a volleyball into Mike's face. I got a detention ten minutes later for hitting him where the sun don't shine, laughing and then admitting I did it on purpose.

Bella had fish marinating for dinner, with a salad and bread left over from the night before, so there was nothing to do there. I spent a focused half hour on sleeping, but then I was through with that, too energetic to fall asleep. I went for a run, going to my clearing and then back, took a shower, dyed my hair a dark aqua when I realised the blue was fading out, checked my email, and read a book.

It was sunny again in the morning. I awakened with renewed hope that I grimly tried to suppress. I dressed for the warmer weather in a mini skirt with a tight crop top — something I'd worn in the middle of Summer in England. I had planned my arrival at school so that I barely had time to make it to class. I parked and hurried to English, arriving breathless, but subdued, before the final bell. It was the same as yesterday — I just couldn't keep little sprouts of hope from budding in my mind, only to have them squashed painfully as I searched the lunchroom in vain and sat at my empty table.

The Port Angeles scheme was on tonight and made all the more attractive by the fact that Lauren had other obligations, according to Angela. I was anxious to get out of town so I could get it over with. That said, I was going to try to stop myself from ruining Angela's enjoyment in the dress hunting. Maybe I could do a little clothes shopping as well. I should get more gloves, and my boots were wearing out. I refused to think that I might be shopping alone in Seattle this weekend, no longer interested in the earlier arrangement. Surely he wouldn't cancel without at least telling me.

After school, Jessica followed me and Bella home in her old white Mercury so that she could ditch her books and truck, and my bike.

I pulled my hair up into a bun quickly when I was inside, feeling a lift of excitement as I contemplated getting out of Forks. I switched my scruffy wallet from my pocket to a messenger bag I rarely used, and ran out to join Jessica. We went to Angela's house next, and she was waiting for us. My excitement increased exponentially as we actually drove out of the town limits.

Jessica drove faster than Dad, so we made it to Port Angeles by four. It had been a while since I'd had a girls' night out, and the estrogen rush was invigorating, though last time I had girls night we went to a club and got hella drunk. We listened to whiny pop songs while Jessica jabbered on about the boys she hung out with. Jessica's dinner with Mike had gone very well, and she was hoping that by Saturday night they would have progressed to the first kiss stage. I rolled my eyes and tried to sut out her high-pitched voice.

Angela was passively happy to be going to the dance, but not really interested in Eric. Jessica tried to get her to confess who her type was, but Bella interrupted with a question about dresses after a bit, to spare her. Angela threw a grateful glance her way.

Port Angeles was a beautiful little tourist trap, much more polished and quaint than Forks. But Jessica and Angela knew it well, so they didn't plan to waste time on the picturesque boardwalk by the bay. Jessica drove straight to the one big department store in town, which was a few streets in from the bay area's visitor friendly face. The dance was billed as semi formal, and we weren't exactly sure what that meant. Both Jessica and Angela seemed surprised and almost disbelieving when Bella told them I'd never been to a dance in Phoenix.

"Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?" Jessica asked dubiously as we walked through the front doors of the store.

"Really," she tried to convince her, not wanting to confess her dancing problems. "I've never had a boyfriend or anything close. I didn't go out much."

"Why not?" Jessica demanded.

"No one asked me," I answered honestly. She looked skeptical.

"People ask you out here," she reminded me, "and you tell them no."

We were in the juniors' section now, scanning the racks for dress-up clothes.

"Well, except for Tyler," Angela amended quietly.

"Excuse me?" Bella gasped. "What did you say?"

"Tyler told everyone he's taking you to prom," I said blandly, running my fingers along a nice little black dress with ruffled sleeves and blue highlights.

"He said what?" Bella sounded like she was choking.

"I told you it wasn't true," Angela murmured to Jessica. Bella was silent, still lost in shock that was quickly turning to irritation.

"That's why Lauren doesn't like you," Jessica giggled while the girls pawed through the clothes. I decided on the dress and started looking for my size.

"Do you think that if I ran him over with my truck he would stop feeling guilty about the accident? That he might give up on making amends and call it even?"

"Maybe," Jessica snickered. '"If that's why he's doing this."

The dress selection wasn't large, but both of them found a few things to try on. Bella sat on a low chair just inside the dressing room, by the three-way mirror, trying to control her fuming.

Jessica was torn between two — one a long, strapless, basic black number, the other a knee-length electric blue with spaghetti straps. Bella encouraged her to go with the blue; why not play up the eyes? Angela chose a pale pink dress that draped around her tall frame nicely and brought out honey tints in her light brown hair.

Bella complimented them both generously and helped by returning the rejects to their racks. I tried out mine, unabashedly tossing off my shirt and jeans with no thought, making Jessica sneer and Angela blush. It fit perfectly, and all three complimented me.

We headed over to shoes and accessories. While they tried things on, Bella merely watched and critiqued, not in the mood to shop for herself. I picked out a few pairs of gloves, and Angela passed me long, silk fingerless ones that I could wear on the dance night. I gladly took them, though I was worried about the fingerless part.

"Angela?" Bella began, hesitant, while Angela was trying on a pair of pink strappy heels — she was overjoyed to have a date tall enough that she could wear high heels at all. Jessica had drifted to the jewelry counter and we were alone.

"Yes?" She held her leg out, twisting her ankle to get a better view of the shoe.

"I like those."

"I think I'll get them — though they'll never match anything but the one dress," she mused.

"Oh, go ahead — they're on sale," Bella encouraged. Angela smiled, putting the lid back on a box that contained more practical-looking off-white shoes. Bella tried again.

"Um, Angela…" She looked up curiously. "Is it normal for the… Cullens" — Bella kept her eyes on the shoes — "to be out of school a lot?" She failed miserably in her attempt to sound nonchalant. I was annoyed yet pleased that she was maybe figuring it out.

"Yes, when the weather is good they go backpacking all the time — even the doctor. They're all real outdoorsy," she told Bella quietly, examining her shoes, too. She didn't ask one question, let alone the hundreds that Jessica would have unleashed. I was beginning to really like Angela, and so was Bella.

"Oh."

Bella let the subject drop as Jessica returned to show us the rhinestone jewelry she'd found to match her silver shoes. We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, but the dress shopping hadn't taken as long as we'd expected. Jessica and Angela were going to take their clothes back to the car and then walk down to the bay.

Bella told them she would meet them at the restaurant in an hour — she wanted to look for a bookstore. I decided I'd go with her. They were both willing to come with us, but we encouraged them to go have fun — they didn't know how preoccupied Bella could get when surrounded by books; it was something she preferred to do alone. And I wanted to have a look for elemental books.

They walked off to the car chattering happily, and we headed in the direction Jessica pointed out. Bella had no trouble finding the bookstore, but it wasn't what she was looking for.

The windows were full of crystals, dream-catchers, and books about spiritual healing.

"I'm going to go look for a different shop," Bella said. I frowned. This actually looked pretty good for what I wanted.

"I'm gonna stay," I said. "This looks pretty cool."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," she said, giving me an awkward half hug and then running off to keep looking.

The door jingled when I walked in, and an old witchy type lady looked up from the counter. She had lots of beaded necklaces, and an old shawl, and her hair was cut just below her ankles, with little clips and ties tangled in it.

"Umm, hi," I said lamley. "I was helping you could maybe direct me to some elemen-"

She backed up, and pointed her bony finger at me. "You have the stench of the undead," she whispered, horrified, in a raspy voice. "It's like a poison, cutting off your life sources and leaving you blind to all important!"

"Right…" Clearly this woman was crazy, only she had mentioned 'undead', which was a word for vampires. "Can I have soem books on elements, please?"

I gave a sweet smile, but she didn't relax her frigid position. "You smell of fires and smoke and ashes and the undead."

"See," I said, smiling again as though nothing was wrong. "You have to help me get rid of the fire and ashes."

"No!" she shrieked. A glass ball popped with the high pitched sound, and I held my hand up to my ear where blood trickled down. "It is a blessing in a curse! A curse inside a blessing!"

"Okay…"

"It cannot be removed! It is a gift from all the gods! The gods have blessed you with a curse!"

"Okay," I said, backing up and trying to escape subtly. Unfortunately, the bell betrayed me by jingling again.

"No! You can't leave! You must wait for a sign! You are needed!"

"Well that seems pretty important, so I'm just gonna…" I nodded my head at the door, fully intent on running, but with amazing reflexes for such an old lady, she literally jumped over the counter, knocking books as she went, and snapped her hand around my wrist.

"You must wait for a sign."

'But I-"

"You must wait for a sign."

"Morgana!" Bella screamed from outside the shop. "Morgana _help!"_

'Ma'am, I really have to-"

She released my wrist immediately, and started picking up her books, muttering something about stars and the planets.

"Morgana!"

"Coming!" I yelled, calmly stepping outside. Bella was known to react dramatically, and if it was something bad, it'd be better to be calm than panicked.

"Oh thank god," Bella breathed, stopping in front of me and bending over to catch her breath. "We have to go. _Now._"

"Wait, Bella, I don't under-"

"_Now, Morgana!_"

A group of four men turned around the corner of the street, dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. As they approached me, I realized they weren't too many years older than I was. They were whispering loudly among themsleves, and when they saw Bella, they started laughing drunkenly.

"There she is," one of the older men said, nearly falling over in is excitement.

"Bella, what happened?"

"Followed me," she wheased, a tear running down her face.

'C'mon baby, it's only a bit of fun," another laughed.

"Oi, fuck off!" I shouted, putting myself in front of Bella who was clearly frightened beyond belief.

"Ooh, she's got a bit of fire, doesn't she boys?"

"I like 'em fiery," laughed the older one.

"I'm warning you now, stay back, and nobody gets hurt," I said, slowly pulling off my gloves.

"Ooh, we're _so_ scared!" jeered one of the younger ones, who was quite fit and looked like he wasn't as drunk as the others.

"You should be."

"Morgana, let's just run," Bella said, whispering into my ear.

"Isabella, listen to me." I twisted her head sharply so she was looking me in the eyes. "In a few seconds, it's going to get hot. Very hot. You need to run as fast as you can and get to the restaurant. I'll meet you there."

"No, please tell me you aren't going to-"

"Set them on fire and kill them?"

"I was going to say be reckless, but now I'm even more worried." She bit her lip, and I fought against the urge to smack her face.

"Go, Isabella."

She took a long look at me, and the at the men that were quickly approaching, stumbling and calling out rude remarks. She knew I could take care of myself though, so she listened to me and fled.

"I'm going to give you one more chance," I said in an emotionless voice, holding up my hands. "Fuck off, or I'll kill you."

The men just laughed. I waited until they were closer, before I pushed one hand on the leaders cheek and made my hand burn as fiery hot as I could.

"You bitch!" he roared, and I felt like it was deja-vu.

I used that fist to punch him in the stomach, burning through his shirt and scorching his chest.

I focused on directing my fire from my hands up and across, making it like a swirling ribbon of flames, whipping against each of the four, burning them beyond belief. I hadn't felt this much control over my power in ages, and it felt good.

"Morgana!" a velvety voice said, cutting through the haze of power. "Morgana, sweetheart, you have to stop."

Cool hands enclosed my own, and the person hissed when the heat touched their skin. They didn't release my hands though, so I elbowed them in the gut, although their skin was like hard diamond.

"Don't," I said, when the person tried to pull me away from the fight. I could make out through the smoke four figures lying on the ground, each one either groaning with pain or dead.

"Sweetheart, you need to stop."

I did stop then, though it wasn't of my own choice. My heart was thumping loudly, and I felt my hands shake. I was dizzy, and colours seemed to swirl together. The mysterious angel picked me up bridal style and held me close, and I barely had a moment to make out their face before I blacked out.

* * *

**Who wants to take a wild guess at who the stranger was?**

**Thank you so much for the support, both with my exams/updating schedule, and just in the general direction this story has taken.**

**Again, do you want her to become a super cool vampire, or stay a super cool human?**

**Hands up, who thought this was a decent take on this chapter? I like it, but I'm not sure if it makes much sense on it's own... You'll just have to wait for the next update to find out what happened to Bella and Morgana.**


	7. Honey, You do WHAT now?

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**I hope the guy that created autocorrect burns in** **hello.**

* * *

"Do you think she's okay?"

"32 seconds, now."

"Watch out, she's burning up again."

"Oh, I hope she's okay."

"Alice, when?"

"15 seconds."

The voices were getting louder, and I tried to roll over to block out the noise, but found that I couldn't. Something was holding me with a vice-like grip, any yet I felt… safe.

I fluttered my eyes, blinking furiously at the lights, though they weren't as in my face as I thought they might've been.

"Hey, sweetheart," my angel said, staring down at me. How could I not recognise that voice, that too perfect face, of Carlisle.

I pushed myself out of his arms, almost falling over in the process. "No, no, you can't…"

I tried to take in my surroundings. I was in a living room, that much was obvious. Carlisle was still sitting on the couch looking heart-broken, and part of me wanted to console him. Esme and the Cullen children, minus Edward, were standing over by a piano, each looking concerned.

"Hello, Morgana," Esme said, a sweet smile on her lips.

"No, no," I said, frantically backing up. "You can't, I can't. No!"

I knew that I had told myself I could deal with the vampires at school, where there were other humans. Here, though? In what I assumed was there house? A place with no others? I was scared shitless.

"Don't be worried, darlin'," Jasper said, and I felt a wave of calmness wash over me so heavily that I nearly fell asleep.

"Jasper! Too much!" Rosalie hissed. The feeling pulled back, and I looked at Jasper curiously.

"Are you going to eat me?" I asked, my expression vacant and voice rather blaise.

"Well, Carlisle migh-". Rosalie elbowed Emmett in the stomach harshly, and the rebounding boom made me jump.

It was Alice who answered my question. "Nope!" she said cheerily. "You smell weird, like ashes and gunpowder. Ugh!"

I raised my eyebrow. She wanted to talk weird?

"You smell fine," Rosalie said, breathing in deeply. "Just not to eat."

"What, so anyone else smells like food?" I asked sarcastically. It was really strange how well I was handling it.

"No," Carlisle said softly. "We eat animals."

He gestured for me to sit down next to him, but I instead took a step back, ignoring his hurt yet understanding look.

"So. Vampires, huh?"

"So, elemental, huh?" Emmett asked laughingly, his voice loud as ever.

I rolled my eyes. "Animals?"

"Yes," Carlisle said. "There are those that eat humans, of course."

"Of course," I muttered. "Perfectly normal diet."

"But we prefer to hunt from animals," he continued. "We call ourselves vegetarians. Our own inside joke, if you will. That's why we have gold eyes. But they turn black when we're thirsty."

I shuddered. I tried to think about what contacts I had in. Thankfully I was wearing hot pink.

"I'm sorry, you must be freezing," Carlisle said. I was still wearing my skirt and crop top, and a quick look at my watch told me it was nearly one am. It was raining, too. I could hear the pattern on the roof, and se it through one of the ginormous windows they had that doubled as a wall.

I blushed. "I don't really get cold. Like I can feel it, and everything, it just doesn't bother me."

"You're just like us," Emmett laughed. I tried to not gag at that idea. There was a fine line between mildy accepting vampires, and being like one.

"Right."

Well this was awkward. I rolled my eyes, and contemplated stomping my foot like a bratty child. "So blood, strength, what else?"

"Super human speed, good hearing, blood-lust," Rosalie started listing. "Sparkle in the sunlight, venom, no sleep,-"

"Wait, go back," I laughed.

"What, blood-lust?" Rosalie asked, holding her hands up in a surrendering pose. "Cause again, animals, and you smell like a furnace."

'No," I said, still laughing. "Sparkling?"

"Hey!" Emmett said, hands on his hips. "It's cool."

"It's adorable."

"It's totally badass," he defended.

"No, I'm the badass. _You_ sparkle."

Carlisle chuckled loudly, and I found it endearingly sweet. Emmett growled, honest to god _growled_, and appeared in front of me with no warning.

"Say that again," he snarled into my ear, and my heart thumped wildly.

I kneed him in the crotch instinctively, putting all my heat into it, making him jump up in pain into the roof before landing crouched on the floor. Carlisle was at my side, standing protectively in front of me, and I maneuvered myself around him.

"Too soon, babe," Rosalie said, with no compassion for her boyfriend.

"I take it back," Emmett panted. "You're the badass. Sorry, Shortcake. I'll fix the roof, Esme."

She just smiled. "I know you will, dear."

"So…" I said, clutching at straws. Again, this had been turned into something very awkward. "Where's Bella?"

"Angela and Jessica think you went home with Edward and Bella, and Bella actually _is_ with Edward, having dinner in Port Angeles. She thinks you passed out from smoke fumes, and is very worried, but Edward is distracting her." Alice said this very quickly, and with her eyes closed. I decided to ignore that for now.

"I'll bet," Emmett said, flashing me a grin. I rolled my eyes.

"Are the m-"

"Dead and dying," Alice said bluntly, her eyes still closed. I should feel bad, but I felt… good? Was that wrong?

"You should go," Carlisle said quietly, from beside me. I felt a flash of hurt, but I understood. "It's late, and you need sleep."

"And you don't?" I retorted, jumping as Rosalie disappeared and returned just as suddenly with my bag. "Thanks," I said to her. She smiled.

"No," Carlisle said, walking at a human speed till he was in front of me, his face very docile looking, his eyes downcast. "We don't sleep."

"Oh." How do you respond to that? Blood, sure. Sparkling, I'd deal with that later. But no sleep? "That must give you a lot of free time."

"Yes," he said, looking up and finally meeting my eyes. "I often take shifts at the hospital at night because it's much easier for myself."

I tried to ignore the whole, 'vampire working as a doctor,' thing.

"I um, I should go," I said, looking for an exit. "Thank you," I said to the group, but I knew it was really meant for Carlisle. "I would have burned the whole place down, so I'm glad you stopped me."

The corners of Carlisle's mouth tugged up, and he nodded his assent. He looked at Alice, and she waved cheerily, her mouth moving indecipherably.

"I'll escort you," he said to me. He tried to take my bag for me but I held onto it tightly.

"I'm fine."

He frowned, but said nothing. He took my arm and led me outside. "Can I?" He held his arms out.

"Can you what?" I asked, feeling completely confused.

"Run you home," he said simply, as though that cleared everything up.

"You're going to need to explain that a little more, hon."

"We're very fast," he said, smiling his perfect smile. _Ugh, snap out of it!_ "And strong. If you let me carry you, you'll get home very fast."

I bit my lip, something I had been doing more since I started living with Bella.

"Okay," I said. He picked me up bridal style, like he must've done in Port Angeles.

"Close your eyes," he whispered into my ear. I did, though my brain was telling me I really should not trust a vampire, even if they ate animals, and I felt wind rushing against me as we moved at a very fast pace.

It was only seconds later that he set me down on my feet and I opened my eyes again to my porch.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as though I might faint from shock.

"That was _so_ cool," I squealed, before blushing. What was happening to me? "I love speed!"

He laughed again. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said, his eyes filled with mirth.

"I should get inside," I said, my hand on the door handle. "Thank you, again, Carlisle."

"Of course."

"So you're sure you're okay?" Bella asked for the millionth time.

"Yes, Isabella."

"Edward said you inhaled a lot of smoke, are your lungs fine?"

"Yes."

"What about coughing? Wheezing, short breath?"

"No, Isabella."

She studied me carefully, before sitting on my bed and pulling me down with her. The second I got home she had ambushed me, dragging me up so she could play the big sister role.

"Okay," she said, finally deciding I was okay. "So I went to dinner with Edward."

I tried to pretend this was news to me. "Really? How'd that go?" I asked, not looking up from my nails. There was so much grime under them.

"It was really good, only this waitress was totally checking him out the whole time."

"That sucks."

"Yeah! I mean, what right did that, that _slut_ have to look at Edward!"

I raised my eyebrows at her, and she flopped against the bed. I'm pretty sure that was the first time she had ever sworn. Either I was a bad influence, or she was just that possessive over her boy-toy.

"Quite a few, actually," I said, standing up, and changing into a long purple shirt that reached my knees and I was sure belonged to Dad but had somehow made its way to my room.

I flung my old shirt and skirt at Bella, and they covered her face. "Unless you had something interesting to tell me, besides your growing jealousy, you're quite welcome to leave. I _do_ need sleep at some point."

"No, no, I actually did." She tried to throw the clothes back at me, but they ended up flying past me and ending up hitting the door before falling in a pile on my floor.

"Great shot, Bells," I said sarcastically.

"Haha. Anyway, Edward can read minds."

If I had any water in my mouth, I would have spat it right out with that statement. "Yes, Bella, and the Cullens are vampires," I said, trying to keep my face blank. "I also shoot fireballs, and the Quiluletes are wolves."

She rolled her eyes. "Very funny. So you heard the legends too?"

I forgot that Bella went to La Push a few days ago, when I decided it wasn't worth going with all the Forks population heading there too. She must've heard them from someone.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "Leah told me."

"I'm not making this up," she said, crossing her heart.

"I didn't say that. I just implied Edward was."

I didn't believe that though. Vampires and firewhips were kinda big, so reading minds wasn't such a stretch.

"I promise you, Morgana, he can read minds."

"Good to know."

"I thought you'd believe me," she whined. "Wasn't it you who used to claim you didn't mean to burn anything down, that it just happened?"

That hurt. So I could say those things, and she'd never believe me, but the second Edward told her he could read fucking minds, then sure, he was clearly telling the truth.

"Right," I laughed with no feeling. "Well, it seems like you're happy to go hang with Edward the Mind Reader, so, thanks for stopping by, love ya, see you in the morning."

I pulled her off the bed and shoved her out the door, ignoring her complaints. Why did she have to do this to me? As soon as we start to get along, she has to put her foot in her mouth.

And now, not only did I have to deal with my own problems, I had to live with vampires and freaking mind readers! I needed coffee.

I didn't sleep well that night, I kept getting up to shut the window, and falling asleep, and then I'd wake up and open it, and then fall asleep and repeat the whole process for literally no reason.

So it wasn't a surprise to me that when my alarm finally went off and I could get up at a normal hour, that I maybe wasn't going to be in the best of moods.

I dressed in a calf length, long sleeved dress, with a high collar, and did my hair with little braids spun into a few big ones. It was maybe a bit much for school, but just because I felt like crap, it didn't mean I had to look like it too. It was a small hassle getting onto my bike, but it was somehow easier with flowing skirts than the tight outfit I had yesterday.

When I arrived at school, I parked under a shady tree, and not three seconds later, Rosalie's BMW arrived right next to me despite the completely empty parking lot. Clearly I was a lot earlier than I should've been.

"Morning, shortcake," Emmett said, speeding out of the car and lifting me up off the bike and onto the ground. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a rock," I said blandly. "Is Edward a mind reader?"

Rosalie got out of the car eloquently and smiled. "Alice said Bella would tell her," she sung sweetly to Emmett, who groaned but handed her money.

"I thought Ana would kick her out faster."

"What, is Alice psychic, or something?" I asked, ignoring Emmett.

"Yes," Rosalie said bluntly. "And Edward reads minds, and Jasper is an empath."

I tried to hide my shock, but I don't think it worked. "Has he, has he read mine?"

"Yes." She pursued her lips. "He can read anyones except Bella's. Yours and Charlie's is kinda hazy, but Bella's is like a brick wall. He can't get into it. You'll learn to block him out."

"Oh," I said quietly. "Good to know."

"Are you going to sit with us today?" Emmett asked, breaking the silence. "We can explain some more, if you'd like?"

How did you respond to that?

"Sure," I finally answered, before dragging out my phone so I could show Rosalie some pictures of dogs. "I'm thinking of convincing Dad to let me get one, so I can have some company on my hikes. Which one do you reckon looks cuter?"

"I'm sorry we abandoned you," Angela said, when I sat down at our biology table.

"It's fine. I took a bit too long with my books, so I just got a ride with Bella."

"As long as you were okay," she said, looking worried.

"Perfectly fine," I said, flashing her a quick smile. "Are you excited for the dance?"

"Yeah, Ben is _so_ sweet, he says we'll go get dinner before, and then we're going out to ice cream after," she squealed. I was honestly happy for her - she seemed to really like Ben. "Are you still going?"

"Yeah, with the Cullens." _I think._

Edward turned around in his seat and gave me a small nod that made me shudder. _Stay out of my mind!_ I thought angrily.

He mouthed the word 'sorry', before turning back around and starting to talk Bella, who looked back at me and smiled. I rolled my eyes.

I sat down at the table, ready to ask my first question, when Alice started rambling.

"He can't hear anyone, anywhere. He has to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's… 'voice' is, the farther away he can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles." She paused thoughtfully. I looked over at Edward and Bella, who were sitting on the other end of the cafeteria, and they both waved.

I was a officially creeped out. It was a little disconcerting to have someone answer your questions without actually asking them. It was also strange to think that Edward could hear our whole conversation, eve if we were on the other side of the room.

"Welcome to Vampires 101," Emmett laughed loudly. I ignored Emmett's comment, though I did glare at the people that turned to look at us.

"How old-" I started.

"-Edward's a bit under 100, Carlisle's around 300, Rosalie and Emmett are nearly 80, I'm nearly 100, Jasper's nearly 130, and Esme's around 110," Alice said very quickly, guessing my questions. "Carlisle turned us all except Jasper and I."

"Right."

"Ease up, darling," Jasper said.

"Most of us are mated," Rosalie said. "It's like a soulmate. Emmett and I, Jasper and Alice, and Edward and your sister. Esme hasn't got one yet."

I noticed she didn't mention Carlisle's mate.

"So burning in the sun, coffins, mirrors?"

"All myth."

"And instead of dying in a cool and dramatic way, you sparkle?" I asked, laughing at Emmett's disbelieving glare.

"It's not _that_ funny," he said. "Babe, back me up."

Rosalie looked conflicted. Part of her seemed to agree with my humor, the other half wanted to help her boyfri- _mate_.

She settled for ignoring us both, and passing me a phone number on a piece of paper.

"We still need to talk about our sleepover on the dance night," she said. Alice bounced happily in her seat, and I swore I heard a small crack each time she set her weight on the chair. How strong was she?

"Is it really a sleepover if none of you actually, you know, sleep?" I asked sarcastically.

"It's the idea that counts, Morgana," Alice said, rolling her eyes as though it was something very obvious that she was telling me. "It'll be fun."

"Sure," I said, though my brain and instincts were fighting each other. On one hand, I did want to hang out with them. On the other, a vampire sleepover party? "I'll come."

"Great! Esme will be happy she has someone to cook for."

* * *

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites, and follows!**

* * *

**I'm sorry for the longs wait, aren't exams such a bore? So far, I think I'm doing okay on them, but only time will tell...**

**I'm glad so many people want her to be a vampire, so far that's definitively in the lead. I actually put a poll up on my profile, so feel free to go there and put your answer in that, or just review it. Either way, it will all be considered.**

**I'm glad you liked the crazy lady - it's not set in stone, but I have a feeling she might be making a few appearances.**

**A little bit corny with the ice powers, so it won't be happening in _this_ story, though it _does_ give me an idea for a possible next one...**


	8. Honey, Won't You Drive By?

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Work? Really? Again? Didn't I do that just yesterday?**

* * *

It was foggy and dark outside my window this morning, downright miserable and yet I looked forward to the fact that the Cullens would be there.

I dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt with a black trench coat, with my hair twisted into a bun with a pen in it. I looked like some detective out of a bad sitcom, only with a little more wild a hair colour.

I got a thermos out of a drawer and made hot chocolate, not bothering with an actual breakfast, before racing outside and locking up when I realised I was soon going to be late.

Bella had left ages ago, though her truck was still in the driveway so I assumed she got a lift with someone.

The mist was ice cold where it clung to the exposed skin on my face and neck. I couldn't wait to get to school so I could sit in a heated room. I kinda wished I had woken up early enough to go with Dad in his cruiser.

It was such a thick fog that I was a few feet down the driveway before I realized there was a car in it: a black car. I was honestly so confused right now. Who did I know that had a black car, that I actually liked?

The door opened, and Carlisle stepped out, as hot as ever. It was official, I couldn't get past his beauty. I just had to accept his unnatural sexiness.

"Morning," he said, smiling.

"Morning," I said, yawning. "What are you doing here?"

"Alice said you wouldn't be able to get to school on time if you drove that deathtrap," he pointed to my bike and I rolled my eyes. "So I'm offering a ride."

I looked at him blankly. "I'll drive you home, or you can get someone else to, if you want. It'll be warmer inside," he teased.

I pursed my lips. "Sure. But my bike is _not_ a deathtrap."

I walked over to the car and he let me get in before closing the door on me. "I guess chivalry really is dead," I laughed. He looked at me carefully, and I thought for a moment that I had offended him, before the corners of his mouth quirked up.

"You're very… strange," he said. The car started backing out of the driveway and he began driving to school. I vaguely wondered how he knew the way.

"How so?"

"You were frightened yesterday morning and then today you willingly get in the car with me."

"Maybe I was worried you'd bite me if I didn't," I quipped.

"Not funny," he said, but his lips were still curled up.

"No, I just… I got over it. You eat animals, and so do I. You have superhuman abilities, and I shoot fire out of my hands. Doesn't mean I'm lining myself up to join your coven, but I got over it."

He was quiet again, and I took the time to look over his appearance. He wore a blue cotton shirt and jeans, and his hair was tousled.

"Don't you have work?" I asked.

"I've got a shift in a few hours, but otherwise no."

"Hmm."

"I like your hair," he said sheepishly, making a circling motion with his right hand. It was kinda cute, how shy he was being. "It suits you."

"Thanks. I, um, I've had it dyed for years now. I barely remember how I used to look without it." Damn, now _I_ was the one being shy.

"Why'd you dye it?"

"I had a… disagreement, of sorts, with my mother and I wanted nothing to do with her, looks or otherwise." It was as much the truth as anything. The only lie was that it was a disagreement and not a full on war.

We pulled up into the parking lot and Carlisle smiled at me. "See?" he said. "Warmth _and _you arrived on time."

It was true. Had I tried to make the trip I would have been cold beyond belief and at least ten minutes late.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"Of course. I'm very glad you accepted my offer."

I opened the door and and and took my thermos off the seat.

"Will I be picking you up this afternoon, Morgana?"

I took a moment to reply. "Yes," I said. And I could have sworn his smile grew impossibly large.

* * *

"So I saw Carlisle drove you to school today," Rosalie said.

"Yes. It was too foggy for my bike."

"Did you talk much?"

"A little."

I swear the Cullen children were obsessed with the fact that Carlisle drove me. It was nearly the end of class, and they still hadn't stopped asking about it.

"Carlisle's very nice, isn't he?" she said, bumping my hip.

"I suppose," I said, trying to not show her how I felt for her pseudo father.

"I think you like him."

"I do. He's very friendly."

She rolled her eyes. "I think you like him as something more."

"Now why would you think that?" I asked, as we stopped in the middle of the corridor. "See you at lunch, Angel."

* * *

"I saw you got a ride this morning, huh?"" Angela said when I sat down. "Nice ride."

"What? Yeah, it was too foggy for my bike." I said smoothly, trying not to think about _who_ I got the ride from. Thank god I didn't have Bella's telltale blush, otherwise I wouldn't get away with half the shit I did.

"Oh, who drove you?" she probed. _Seriously, Angela?_

"The Cullens."

"That's nice of them."

"Yes."

"Are you excited?" she asked, when she realised I was done with the conversation. "For the dance?"

"Didn't we have this conversation just yesterday?"

She laughed. "I suppose we did.

* * *

"Bella is very upset with you," Jasper informed me when I sat down at the table.

"Isn't she always?" I asked rhetorically. "Besides, I didn't do anything this time."

"Key words, 'this time'," Emmett joked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm being serious, Isabella has a real problem."

"Says the one who got locked up in a mental institution."

"Right, I'm so glad we can all joke about that so freely," I said. "For that, mister, I'm stealing your moose."

"Oh no," he said drily. "What ever shall I do?"

I reached over to grab it off his tray, but he moved it just out of my reach.

"Emmett Cullen, hand over the moose," I said, holding my hand out.

"And if I don't wanna?"

"You don't want to get to that point." I tried to snatch it out of his hands, but he pulled his hand back last second. "You don't even eat food."

"Yeah, but I could if I wanted to," Emmett boasted.

"Kay," I said, shrugging. "Do it. I _dare_ you."

""What, no."

"Okay." I sat back down and started eating my apple. "Scaredy cat."

"How dare you?" Emmett gasped. "Me?"

I pretended to look around. "Who else?"

Emmett gulped before peeling back the seel.

"Babe, you don't have to," Rosalie said, though she had a tiny smile on her face. Emmett ignored her, choosing instead to look fearfully at spoon which now had a half-bite's worth of chocolate moose.

"Go on, Emmy," I said. He put the spoon in his mouth and let the moose fall off it, but he didn't swallow.

"Nope, nope, no, not doing it." He spat it out onto the tray, going over all his food, and I laughed loudly.

* * *

"How were classes?" Carlisle asked, when I was settled comfortably in his car.

I made a so-so gesture. "I finally got my drama assessment. We have to create a play based off Greek myths. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

He laughed. "I'm not that old."

"Sure you aren't."

"I'm not," he protested. "But I friends who are. The Volturi are over three millennia."

"Damn."

"Yes, er, 'damn'," he repeated, both agreeing with me and testing the word out. Damn sounded strange coming from his mouth.

"How was your day? Save any people?" I teased, although I was kinda serious.

"A mother had a child, a boy broke his leg, and I performed surgery on a girls wrist."

"I thought _my_ day was interesting. Wait, what doctor are you?"

I was so confused. Was he a surgeon, or GP, or what?

"I've lived a long life, and have several degrees. I have arrangements with the hospital that I pull a lot of nights and several jobs, both complex and simple, and then I get to take many days off," he explained.

"Like the sunny ones when you go all glittery?"

"You're never going to get over that, are you?" he asked. I snorted.

"Not likely." We were silent for a moment. "Favourite music?" I asked suddenly.

"Classical. Yours?"

"Um, rock or pop. But not the light pop, like pop with beat," I said. "I don't think you'd like it very much."

"I could try it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I'll start you off. Deja Vu is a good one to begin with, it's one of my favourites."

He seemed to note it mentally, and repeated it to himself quietly. It probably wasn't the easiest one to start him off with, but it'd prepare him for some of my other tastes.

"You should try Beethoven," Had anyone else told me that, I would've laughed in their face, but to my surprise, I found myself nodding.

"Sure," I said.

We soon arrived at Dad's, and I took my thermos and got out of the car. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?" I asked. "We could play Senet."

He mock glared at me. "I'm surprised you even know what that is."

"Hey," I said, holding a hand to my heart. "I'm a cultured person. Lili made me play it almost every afternoon last year."

He shook his head sadly. "I'd love to, but I really should go. We're hunting tonight and tomorrow night in preparation for Saturday."

"What's happ- oh. The dance. Is that a problem for you guys if I stay over for the night?"

"No, of course not. We just want to be prepared. We all have very good restraint, but sometimes it's harder if we're in close proximity for a long time," he explained, but I still felt bad.

"Are you sure? Because I'd understand if it was too hard for you guys."

"We'll be fine. Esme's looking forward to cooking, and Rosalie has several chick flicks set up. I think she forgets you need to sleep at some point too."

I smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

"Hello Morgana," Bella said, as I dumped my bag on the floor. "I see you got a ride today."

I put my thermos in the sink, and started chopping a banana and some strawberries.

"How was school?"

I got out the blender, and began putting the fruit in it.

"Did you hand in your English assignment? I heard from Lauren that you got your drama assessment today."

I poured milk on top, and set the level to high, drowning out all the noise Isabella was making. She reached over the counter and unplugged it.

"You're not exactly being very mature, you know," she said matter of factly.

I poured chocolate sauce in the smoothie, before plugging it back it and trying to ignore Isabella. She pulled out the plug again, and I felt my hands warm up so much that I could just hear the gloves hissing as they burned through.

"Let me make my smoothie," I said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, she speaks," she said sarcastically.

"Isabella Marie, leave me the fuck alone."

"Why? I didn't even do anything, you just suddenly decided that I was the bad guy."

"Shut up before I do something we'll both regret."

"Why don't you shoot a fireball at me and scare me into listening?"

I glared at her and tugged the cord out of her hands, perhaps a little too harshly, but that didn't bother me. I plugged it back in, and waited for the smoothie to blend, all the while not blinking and staring straight at Bella.

When the mixing finished, and I had poured the drink into a cup and put the blender away, she started talking.

"You always blame _anyone _you can for your stupid mistakes. Burn down a house? My fault for goading you. Murder a student in the woods? He should not have touched you wrong. Blow up a bathroom and kill two girls? Well maybe they shouldn't have called you a psycho behind your back."

"Shut up."

"Maybe Mum should've just given you up!"

"Shut up now."

"She's right, you're not worth my effort."

She flicked her hand out and knocked my cup over, making it fall to the ground and shatter against the ground, glass and drink mixing together on the floor.

I reacted instinctively at the shattering sound, holding my hands up in an 'X' in front of me, fire dancing across my arms. I just barely managed to stop myself from blowing up the house.

"Shut up, _now_, Isabella."

She backed up against the wall, her mouth opening and closing uselessly.

"You know _nothing_ about what it's like! You act like I have control over all this, but I really don't! I have _no_ control! You think I _wanted_ to kill them?"

She tried to step to the side, but I held my hand out and a lash of fire flickered at her.

"You seem to have plenty of control right now," she mumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"Right now, being the key words," I spat. I breathed in through my nose, and out my mouth, trying to calm my emotions.

"So you weren't lying?"

"What does it look like, Isabella?"

"Right. Stupid question." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can, can you stop the flames, please?"

I focused on drawing the fire back, pulling it into my skin, which bubbled for a moment before settling down.

"I'm sorry I said you weren't worth the effort," Bella said, nervously eyeing my palms. I didn't respond. "I'm sorry I knocked your glass over, and didn't believe you."

"Why didn't you, though? You believed Edward, and not your little sister?" I asked, hurt though my voice stayed steady.

"To be fair, you've always been pretty independent, so I'm not sure little sister applies to you, unless we're talking height wise."

I rolled my eyes, and tried to remain calm.

"Sorry. Just, can we talk?"

"Sure."

"Nicely?"

"We can try. What do you want to know?" It didn't really think it was fair that I had to try to explain something to someone who'd never bothered to listen, but it was either that or try to listen to her apologies, so I went with the former.

"How long has, um, have you been able to do that?"

"Since I can remember. It's always been this way."

"Are you, are you actually crazy?" she asked, before blushing heavily. Oh god, I just realised how rude that must sound."

"Get told something enough and you start to believe it," I said. "I think I'm a little crazy."

"Oh."

"Are we done now?" I asked snappily.

"Uh, yeah sure."

I turned on my heel, ignoring the mess in the kitchen. Bella could do it - she's the one that knocked the glass over.

"Hey!" she called. "Did you know that the Cullens are vampires?"

"Yes."

How dumb could she be to just blurt their secrets out like that. What if I hadn't known?

"When did-"

"A few days ago."

"How-"

"Quileute legends."

"Oh."

I kept walking, and thank god cause this time she decided it'd be better to just let me be.

* * *

**Review, Fav and Follow, please!**

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**I've edited Chapter Five. You might remember I added some shit about Morgana having too much blood (which is, in fact an actual thing), but I've removed it. Why? I was planning to have this thing where she burns the excess blood when she uses her powers, but I just couldn't see a spot to add that in.**

* * *

**I'm glad you're all enjoying this, and don't forget to vote when it comes to Morgana's vampi****re-ism issue. **

**I'm not planning to get Morgana pregnant, but you may review to try to convince me. Bella WILL be getting pregnant, as that is a crucial plot point to Breaking Dawn, which I plan to re-write. Renesmee WILL happen.**

**Thanks for catching my brother/sister mistake - I've fixed it up now.**

**I'm not entirely impressed with this chapter, hence the long wait, but hopefully you all enjoy it enough...**

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**For those that don't know, Senet is the oldest board game in the world - it was a poke at Carlisle's age. Deja Vu is a song by Timmy Trumpet, and it's very fast, interesting, dark and kinda futuristic in a strange way. I would highly recommend you try that song out - it's honestly one of my favourites.**

* * *

**Side note, if anyone is willing to Beta this story, please send me a PM. I'm just warning you now, I am a sporadic updater and live on the south hemisphere, so you might not get a chapter to edit until four in the morning three weeks after the last one.**


	9. Honey, I'm Not Worth It

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Don't judge me. I was born to be awesome, not perfect.**

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Driving to the Cullen's house was, in a word, lengthy. I wanted to drive myself, so Rosalie and Emmett came by mine so I could follow them because they didn't think I could find their house on my own. They were right. I carefully followed Emmett's jeep down the winding driveway, and even with my bike's speed I kept losing them.

When I finally arrived, I had to keep my amazement in check. Of course had already seen the house _(cough, mansion, cough)_ on that fateful Port Angeles trip, but whatever. I was kinda out of it then, and Carlisle ran me home.

There were gardens upon gardens, and the house was simply stunning. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration. And it was all glass. I loved it.

I parked my bike next to the jeep, and the second I did the other Cullens raced (and by raced, I mean went as fast as they actually could) to come meet me.

"Good afternoon," I laughed.

"What do you think?" Esme asked. "About the house."

"It's gorgeous, Mrs Cullen."

"Esme," she reminded me.

""It's gorgeous, Esme."

She beamed at me, before shooting a glare at Jasper. "I _told_ you she'd like it."

"I thought she'd be too freaked out by the vampire thing," he defended.

I coughed. "_She_, is right here."

"Good point," Alice said. "Why are you still outside? We only have a few hours to fix… that."

She made a circling motion at my head and I frowned. "I look fine."

"You have helmet hair, and your makeup is black."

"Yes, I look like this everyday."

"Exactly. Now you're getting it," she chirped. Rosalie whacked her over the head, and I almost jumped at the booming sound that came along with it.

"C'mon, Shortcake," Emmett said, throwing me over his shoulder. I squeaked in surprise. "I'm under strict orders not to let you run."

"Great," I deadpanned. I threw a pout at Carlisle, the only one not in front of me, and silently begged him to save me. He just laughed.

Emmett sat me down on the bed in which I assumed was Rosalie's room, judging by the motorbike posters and magazines, and what I guessed was Emmett's video game console thing. Alice and Rosalie appeared through the window not much longer.

"Okay," Alice said, consulting a clipboard that had me rolling my eyes. "First up, showers and waxing, then-"

"Absolutely not."

Alice looked shocked, and Rosalie appeared to be holding back laughter.

"Why not?" she whined.

"Because I said no?"

"But you need waxing."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'll be fine. I really don't care if I have hair on my legs or not."

"But then what will we do?" she pouted.

"I don't know. Bake a cake?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders. "Whatever you want, but I'm not waxing."

"But-"

"No, Alice."

"Morgana," she whined.

"Alice, drop it," Rosalie said with a glare. "What's after?"

"Make up, then we let the human eat," Alice said, bouncing on her heels, suddenly over her little tantrum. "Then we get dressed, do photos, and head out."

"That sounds like… fun?"

"So much fun," Alice laughed, oblivious to my silent horror.

"Okay, off," Rosalie said. I got off the bed, confused when she kept flicking her fingers. "Clothes."

"Oh!"

I stripped down to my underwear, before pulling on the dressing gown she handed me.

"Where's your dress?" Alice asked, and I passed it to her from my bag.

She shrieked in horror.

"What happened?"

"You folded it," Rosalie answered, shaking with laughter.

"Yes. How else would I get it here? On a hanger?" I asked rhetorically.

"I just, I can't even, no." Alice rushed out of the room with my dress, rambling as she went.

"I think you broke her," Rosalie teased. "I haven't seen her like that since the 80s."

* * *

"Tell me you didn't," Rosalie said, glaring at Emmett.

"Didn't do what?" he asked innocently. The disco lights flashed across his face, and his skin glittered slightly with purple and blue diamonds. I tugged at my dress, trying to ignore the stiffness of it, and the pain on my head from the pins in my hair.

"Spike the punch," she said, gritting her teeth.

"I didn't do it," he defended, holding his hands out submissively. It was probably Morgana."

'It wasn't me, thank you very much. I left my fake IDs at Mothers."

"We all know it was you," Jasper drawled. "We can smell the alcohol, Emmett."

He scowled.

"On that note," I said cheerfully, "I'm going to grab more punch."

I made my way towards the bowls, carefully twirling in between different teachers and students. I did _not_ need their bad attitudes to ruin my night.

I poured myself a glass, and downed it, barely noticing as the alcohol burned my throat when I drank. I poured two more, one for later and one to sip while I made my way back.

Rosalie wrinkled her nose when I came over. "Emmett how much exactly did you put in?"

"Enough."

She frowned, taking one cup from me and smelling it, a grimace on her face. "It's revolting."

"It smells fine," I defended. "And it tastes even better."

She just rolled her eyes.

Three drinks later, I was officially tipsy. Four more, and I was full on drunk.

"You should come home," Rosalie said.

"I wanna dance," I whined. "It's fine."

"You're not fine," she said, pulling me outside the hall. I leant heavily against her, allowing her to carry most of my weight.

"Yes I am," I slurred. "I'm always fine."

"Not right now," she muttered, but I still heard it.

"Yes right now. I'm always fine, Angel. When have I ever _not_ been fine?"

"Port Angeles, for one."

"I was fine then," I said. "Carl-Carlisle shouldn't have helped me. I was okay."

She pursued her lips, and Emmett appeared beside me. I jumped, startled, and almost fell over.

"You were _not_ okay, Shortcake."

"Totally was," I slurred. "I don't deserve saving. I don't want it."

"Yes, you do," Emmett said, shaking my shoulders. "Okay, Morgana? You're pretty damn important to us."

"No, I'm not," I said, my eyes fluttering as I fought to stay awake. "Not important to anyone."

"She reminds me of Edward," Rosalie sighed to Emmett. Then louder, t me, "We're taking you back to ours. You can sleep it off, and then we'll be talking."

I mumbled some sort of agreeance, before passing out.

* * *

When I came to, I was lying in a strange bed, and it was still night, according to the window.

"Morning," someone to my left said. I rolled over and squinted in the darkness.

"Carlisle," I said, not altogether surprised that he was here, and a little creeped out. "Where am I?" I asked, looking around to find that it wasn't just the bed that was unfamiliar to me.

"My room."

"Right," I said. Cause _that_ wasn't at all creepy or alarming. That said, it wasn't like he actually slept, so he didn't share the bed with me. Then again, if he didn't sleep, then did he just spend the whole night watching me? "How long have you been here?"

"Just a few moments. Alice warned that you'd be waking up soon."

Good. Still creepy, but not as weird as I had thought it'd been. I decided to ignore the last few moments of thought. They were too confusing. "What time is it?"

"Just past three am."

"What happened last night?" I asked, sitting up against the headboard, and wincing when the movement made me dizzy.

"Here," he said, passing me advil and a cup of water, which I took eagerly. "Emmett decided to spike the punch bowl-"

"SORRY!" Emmett's voice yelled from downstairs. I felt it'd be better to just disregard that.

"-and you became intoxicated and passed out."

Hence, the hangover.

"Sorry," I said, blushing. "I'm terrible drunk."

"YES, YOU ARE!" Emmett yelled.

"Stupid vampires," I muttered.

"I'M SMARTER THAN YOU ARE!"

"Debatable."

"Would you like to go somewhere more private?" Carlisle asked. "I'd like to talk to you about something."

My heart fluttered, and I forced it to stop. "Sure," I said. "Just let me get dressed."

I had a quick shower, and pulled on a pair of jeans, boots and singlet that Alice left at the floor of the door. Carlisle held out his arms, and the second he had a good hold on me, he was off like a bullet, stopping when we reached the fairy-tale clearing I had found week ago.

"How did you know I liked this place?" I asked, sitting down on the grass when Carlisle did.

If Carlisle could blush, I'm sure he would. If anything, he looked flustered. "I, um… Your scent passed through here quite a few times, and I was curious."

I blinked.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to find a safe conversation.

"Something Rosalie said you said last night."

I laughed awkwardly. "I wouldn't read into that too much, I get really weird when I'm drunk."

"This wasn't weird, more so concerning."

"Hmm?"

"You said you didn't deserve to be saved."

My heart fumbled for a second, and I felt my face pale. "Again, I'm really strange when drunk."

"It's not the first time you've come off this way," he said. He sounded pained. I tried to avoid looking at his face, instead watching the frogs that jumped over and into the stream. "Would you tell me why you think that?"

I frowned. "I'd rather not."

"Please, Sweetheart?" He reached over and pulled one of his hands into mine. "I worry about you."

"You know I didn't live with Mum and Bella for most of my life, right?" At his nod I continued. "When I was nearly seven, my 'gift' started developing. Mum sent me to an asylum when I blew up the house. I almost killed Bella. She doesn't remember, but she was playing in the garden. Mum wanted me to stay with her, and I wanted to visit dad. I had just run out onto the street when I got too angry."

"And your mother blamed you?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah. This was a few months after several fires being set and me burning Bella's hair. She just assumed somehow it was me." I almost choked on the sentence. Carlisle started stroking my palm.

"It was a school, but not really. Fights would break out, and it wasn't very safe. They used to use Shock-treatments, some times."

Carlisle drew in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"It's not like it's your fault," I laughed bitterly. "I ended up blowing up that school eventually, which got me kicked out. I kept cycling through asylums, generally getting kicked out for making things explode. I got kicked out of two for murdering three students."

"Morgana-"

"I've injured at least a hundred kids."

"Morgana-"

"My sister hates me, I hate my mother, and I only got to come meet Dad because of good behaviour for the past two years."

"Sweetheart-"

"I'm not exactly worth anyone's effort. People just end up hurt, or dead."

He didn't try to say anything this time, but instead just held me as I cried for the first time in years.

* * *

**Please keep reviewing - I can only make it better if you tell me what's wrong.**

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**Okay, so this is the shortest chapter I've written, barely making 2000 words... **

**I've**** been struggling with the timeline, as I keep making it too fast for what happens in the book, but I've finally decided that I'm just gonna go with it, and things are just going to progress a lot quicker than they should have. Hopefully no one finds that too annoying or hard to read.**

**WOW! 100 follows! That's actually really awesome. When I started writing this, I expected maybe 5-10, but 100? You guys are too nice. That said, **_please_** keep following, favouring and reviewing.**

**Yes, I am Aussie, so I apologise for the confusion with 'thong'. I'd go back and change it, but I enjoy reading your confused reviews too much. To any that don't understand it, a thong is a flip flop.**

**When I started writing Morgana, I wanted to base her a little off the Morgana from the TV series, 'Merlin', hence the name. I also kinda based her off Katniss, if Katniss was the slightest bit nicer. So a blend of the two. I wanted her to be as badass and yet calm and collected throughout the whole story, but she's kinda creating her own personality. **

**A few people have reviewed me about Bella and Morgana's relationship. I intend to have their friendship increase around Breaking Dawn, which yes, is a long time to wait, but I feel as though that's the best time to really solidify their bond. Is their lack of relationship annoying you guys? Do you think it's too cliche, or written unconvincingly? Please tell me, as I want to make this book as real and relatable as a fantasy story can get.**


	10. Honey, Don't You Dare

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**My room isn't messy - it's an obstacle course designed to keep me fit.**

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**CHAPTER TEN**

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**PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR NOTE AT THE BOTTOM!**

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"Are you finished?" Edward asked.

After my awkward crying session with Carlisle, the rest of the week had continued smoothly.

He dropped me off at Dad's, and promised Rosalie would bring my stuff to school on Monday, which she did.

Wednesday night Billy and Jacob Black came over, and I took my dinner to eat in my room. I didn't like the way Billy stared disapprovingly at me, or how Jacob's eyes kept flicking to my chest despite my many glares and threats. For once though, Bella didn't chastise my mood, instead choosing to safely ignore the whole situation.

And now, both Isabella and I were heading over to the Cullens house for an afternoon of playing with the vampires. I was looking forward to it - Rosalie promised that she'd give me some pointers to looking after my bike.

"Um, in a minute," Bella said, poking her head out the hallway and smiling at us. I didn't return it. We were still testy with each other.

I heard several loud thumps, and an 'I'm fine!', before she rushed down the stairs, almost tripping. Only Edward's speed and good instincts kept her from tumbling to her death.

She wore a white skirt and black blouse, pink trainers on her feet. She almost looked like she was going to a tennis match.

I, however, decided to don my tatty jeans and and jacket, a dark long sleeved blue shirt under, with sunnies perched upon my head, resting against my bun.

"Finally," I muttered.

Bella and Edward got in her truck, and I followed slowly on my bike. I in no way wanted to intrude on their little lovey-dovey moments, but I still didn't know the way.

We passed over the bridge at the Calawah River, the road winding northward, the houses flashing past us growing farther apart, getting bigger. And then we were past the other houses altogether, driving through misty forest. We then turned abruptly onto an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns.

The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernible for a few meters as it twisted, serpentlike, around the ancient trees.

I parked first, and the Cheevy stopped right next to my bike, which made me a little uneasy.

"Wow," Bella breathed, stepping out of her truck, her door narrowly missing hitting me in the head.

"You like it?" he smiled.

"It… has a certain charm."

He pulled the end of her ponytail and chuckled. "Ready?"

"Not even a little bit — let's go." she tried to laugh, but it seemed to get stuck in her throat.

I ignored the two and, choosing to walk up to the door as opposed to watching them in their own bubble.

"Morgana!" Esme said happily, pulling me inside before I had the chance to knock.

"Afternoon," I said, smiling back at her. It was impossible not to - the woman was an absolute godsend.

"I made food," she said. She dragged me to the kitchen and sat me down at a chair behind the counter, passing me a small bowl of panna cotta.

"Are we Italian, today?" I asked, amused. Yesterday she made German noodles, Thursday was Mexican tacos, which the Cullens enjoyed watching me try to eat with spilling any out of the shell, and on Tuesday she made lamingtons which were absolutely awesome.

"Yes, now eat," she ordered.

I didn't bother resisting - I knew not only would it offend her, I would cave anyways.

"This is _so_ good," I said, after my first bite. She beamed.

"Carlisle, Esme," Edward's voice said from behind me. I turned to find that he and Bella had finally arrived, and that Carlisle had appeared at the dining room table which I'm sure they had for no other reason than decoration.

"And appearances," Edward supplied. I scowled at him. _Get out of my head!_ "This is Bella," he added.

"You're very welcome here, Bella."

Carlisle's step was measured, careful as he approached her. He raised his hand tentatively, and Bella stepped forward to shake hands with him.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle."

"Carlisle." She grinned at him, and I felt my hands clench in a sudden burst of jealousy. Where had _that_ come from?

Esme smiled and sped forward as well, reaching for Bella's hand, which she shook quickly and firmly.

"It's very nice to know you," she said.

"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too."

It suddenly got very awkward, and I distracted myself from the silence washing up the bowl and spoon in the sink before drying them and giving them to Esme to put away in the top shelf, which I apparently could not reach, much to the amusement of Emmett.

"I made Panna Cotta, Bella," Esme said, breaking the silence. "Would you care for some?"

"Oh, um, I already ate."

When? We had lunch like, four hours ago, and she had spent those hours with Edward in her room.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked, but no one answered, as they had just appeared at the top of the wide staircase.

"Hey, Edward!" Alice called enthusiastically. She ran down the stairs, a streak of black hair and white skin, coming to a sudden and graceful stop in front of Bella.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice said, and she bounced forward to kiss her cheek. "You do smell nice, I never noticed before. Much better than Morgana."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, amused, annoyed and embarrassed all in one.

"Alice!" Carlisle hissed.

"What? She smells fine, but Bella smells like good food and Morgana doesn't at all."

I raised an eyebrow at her. No one else seemed to know quite what to say, and then Jasper was there — tall and leonine.

A feeling of ease spread through me, and I pushed it back easily, making Jasper make an almost pout like expression.

"Hello, Bella," Jasper said, nicely. "Morgana." He said that with a little bit more exasperation.

'What?" I asked, with a fake mocking tone. "It's not _my_ fault you're not strong enough to overpower me."

Alice laughed daintily, as did Esme.

Bella wandered with Edward over to the piano, where Esme began teasing him until he played for them. Alice and Jasper sped upstairs together, and I found myself in the room alone with Carlisle.

"How was school?" he asked conversationally, moving over to stand by me.

"Small talk, Carlisle? I thought we were passed this point of awkward exchanges."

He chuckled softly. "Okay, let's talk about something deeper. Women's rights? Pro-life? The philosophical belief on whether or not we have free will?"

I remembered the excuse that I gave Bella on the day of the knife incident, and my eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable, his fingers picking at a thread on his cotton shirt. "I, um, I heard about it."

"You 'heard about it'?" I asked, my voice slightly strangled. "You didn't…"

"Alice warned me you would get hurt. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't too serious," he explained quickly.

"I can't believe you!" I snarled, clenching my hands. "You had no right to- to _stalk_ me!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'stalking'..." he defended weakly.

"Wouldn't you?" I asked, giving him a harsh glare and inwardly smirking when he took a half step back. "What would you call it, Carlisle?"

"Making sure you were okay."

"Get back to me when you have a better excuse," I snapped, walking past him, ignoring his hurt expression and making my way to Rosalie's room. She would understand why I was so angry.

"C'mere," she said the second I entered. She hugged me tightly, before letting me go and pulling me onto her bed.

"It's so infuriating," I said, knowing full well he could probably hear me rant.

"Think of it from his side," she said, taking my hand and holding it in hers. "You're pretty damn important to him, and he already knew you were going to get hurt."

"Yes, and he watched me! Like some sick pervert or something."

She rolled her eyes at me. "You know it's not like that."

"What is it, then?"

Why wouldn't she just let me be mad? What right did he have to stalk me? How long had this been going on?

"It's just not like that," she repeated.

"Right," I said sarcastically. "That clears it up _so_ much, thanks Angel."

"Maybe you should ask him," she suggested.

"No way am I going near him."

"Morgana," she said.

"No! Don't try to tell me that he was in the right, or some shit like that."

"That's not what I'm saying." She pursed her lips. "Just, don't be too hard on him."

I raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I'll just ignore him."

"He just wants to protect you. It's just his nature."

"I can assure you that I don't need protection," I said bluntly

"We all know _that,"_ she laughed. I glared at her. "Fine, fine. Carlisle just wants to protect those close to him, even if he does it wrong."

I rolled my eyes.

"Did I ever tell you how I was changed?" she asked suddenly. I didn't have time to answer, she instead just began talking. "I lived a very good life, I was rich, and my family was well-known. I was engaged to Royce Royale, who I realize now only wanted me for my looks and money. Even as a human, I was very beautiful."

Rosalie laughed bitterly before continuing. "I thought I had it all. Just a few days before my wedding, Royce and his friends got drunk."

I drew in sharp breath. "Rose…"

"They beat and raped me. I was going to die when Carlisle smelt the blood. I _wanted_ to die. He changed me."

"And- and you don't want to be a vampire, do you?"

"No. There are parts I love, like Emmett, but I want to be human. I'd rather have died that night."

I grimaced. "Are they still alive?"

I knew Rosalie was only eighty-ish, so it was possible. If so, I was going to go burn their fucking houses down.

"No," she said shortly. "I killed them all. It was very dramatic. I wore a wedding dress."

I had to suppress a dark laugh.

"C'mon," she said, pulling me up off the bed. It was a fast change in attitude, and I worried, but I knew better than to bring it up. "I think Carlisle's dying of hurt."

I glared at her. I got the point of her telling me the story - Carlisle saved her in the wrong way, but I was still pissed.

"Morgana, I-"

"Save it," I said, interrupting Carlisle's sentence. "Let me be mad at you, okay? Then we'll talk."

He nodded wordlessly, and let me walk past him into the living room.

"Hello Morgana," Alice said softly. I had to strain to hear the words. "He's very upset."

"Good," I said shortly.

"Alice believes there'll be a storm tonight," Jasper said, pulling Alice into his arms and holding her tightly.

"Believes or knows?" I asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Knows," he said, his smile growing wider on his face. "Which means we can play baseball."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy that," I said drily. Why was he telling me this?

"Vampire baseball," he added. I nodded warily. "You're invited."

"Oh. Sounds interesting. Will I need an umbrella?"

"You're just like Bella," Alice laughed. "She asked the exact same thing."

"But will I?"

"The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing."

I found myself a little excited. Vampire baseball would be undoubtedly more interesting than normal baseball.

"I look forward to it," I said. Alice squealed.

* * *

I took the fast way to the clearing - Rosalie carried me. Or rather, Rosalie _tried_ to carry me, and Emmett kept trying to steal me out of her arms. Much to my glee, Emmett rarely succeeded, and the second he did, Rosalie would turn on her charm and he'd drop me, allowing her to catch me and keep running.

"You are _so_ annoying," I said, hands on hips, faking irritation with him. In truth, it had been fun, if not a little scary.

Emmett pouted. "It was her fault," he defended, making Rosalie and I both roll our eyes.

"Men!" she scoffed. I had to hold back a laugh at Emmett's petulant expression.

The clearing was large, at least three times as big as any stadium, and had many trees and ferns surrounding it.

Emmett had rolled a boulder over to the side, which Rosalie had sat me on when she finally let me down, and the two were standing at the foot of it. I could just make out little bits of sparkle every now and then, which I teased Emmett mercilessly about. I still hadn't seen them fully in the sun, and Emmett claimed I was never going to.

Esme was with Carlisle, and they were both marking the bases, each set at least a mile apart.

Much farther out I could see Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw something back and forth, but I never saw any ball.

Rosalie coughed delicately, and pointed at an opening of the clearing. "Bella and Edward are here."

I jumped off the rock, and onto Emmett's back, who sped me over to the two. Most of the Cullens had come over, with the exception of Carlisle who had taken to keeping his distance, which made me feel bad, but also… good?

"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asked as she approached.

"It sounded like a bear choking," Emmett clarified. I was so confused. What had they heard that I hadn't?

Bella smiled hesitantly at Esme. "That was him."

"Bella was being unintentionally funny," Edward explained.

"It's time," Alice announced. As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at me. "Let's go."

Alice reached for Emmett's hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast — yet Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle. Rosalie and Jasper followed suit, though Esme stayed behind.

"Are you ready for some ball?" Edward asked Bella, who nodded eagerly. Edward kissed her cheek before darting off.

"Always the gentleman," Esme smiled. "Edward was the first of my new sons. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in one way at least." She smiled at Bella warmly. "That's why I'm so happy that he's found you, dear."

"You don't mind, then?" Bella asked, hesitant again. "That I'm… all wrong for him?"

"No." She was thoughtful. "You're what he wants. It will work out, somehow," she said, though her forehead creased with worry.

Another peal of thunder began. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward was far out in left field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound.

Emmett was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceably through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but then I realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there — farther from the pitcher's mound than I would have thought possible. Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team.

"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew they would all hear. "Batter up."

Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Jasper's hand.

"Was that a strike?" Bella whispered to Esme.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," I said distractedly. My skin was crawling, and I felt the hairs on my arm stand tall. I pulled my jacket tighter.

Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice's waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin. And then her hand spun out again. This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball.

The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains — I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm. The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest.

"Home run," Bella murmured.

"Wait," Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. I realized Edward was missing. "Out!" Esme cried in a clear voice.

I stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me. "Emmett hits the hardest," Esme explained, "but Edward runs the fastest."

It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field. I learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Jasper, trying to avoid Edward's infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Carlisle. Carlisle ran into the ball, and then raced Jasper to first base.

When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders. I jumped up in concern, worry filling my head for Carlisle, but they were somehow unscathed.

"Safe," Esme called in a calm voice. Emmett's team was up by one — Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies — when Edward caught the third out.

He sprinted to Bella's side, sparkling with excitement. "What do you think?" he asked.

"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through dull old Major League Baseball again." "And it sounds like you did so much of that before," he laughed. "Are you enjoying it?" he asked me as an added afterthought.

"Mhmm," I said. I couldn't help but feel as though something was going to go terribly wrong.

"I'm up," he said, heading for the plate. He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play.

Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field — with a boom that hurt my ears — that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives.

The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any streetball players as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but we stayed dry, as Alice had predicted.

Carlisle was up to bat, Edward catching, when Alice suddenly gasped. My eyes were on the trees, and I didn't realise anything was wrong until the family appeared right in front of me.

"Alice?" Esme's voice was tense.

"I didn't see — I couldn't tell," she whispered.

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority, although I could hear the worry.

"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she murmured.

"Who was travelling?" I asked.

"Namads," Esme said to me, before turning to the group. "What changed?"

"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," she said, contrite, as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.

"How soon?" Carlisle said, turning toward Edward. A look of intense concentration crossed his face.

"Less than five minutes. They're running — they want to play." He scowled.

"Can we make it?" Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward me.

"No, not carrying —" He cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch their scents and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett asked Alice.

"Three," she answered tersely.

"Three!" he scoffed. "Let them come." The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms. For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle deliberated.

"Emmett's right," I said. He grinned at me. "Why don't we just kill them?"

"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle finally decided. His voice was cool and level. "Alice said they were simply curious. We make peace with them."

"If they're going to hunt us, then why bother playing nice?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"They might not. And we don't have time to run," Carlisle explained.

"You catch, Esme," Edward said. "I'll call it now." And he planted himself in front of Bella. Carlisle stood a few meters in front of me, pretending to do something on his phone. The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes.

"Take your hair down," Edward said in a low, even voice. Bella obediently slid the rubber band out of my hair and shook it out around herself.

"Come here," I said to her. She walked warily to me, and I pulled my gloves off. "Don't move."

"That could work," Edward said. I nodded.

I took the ends of her hair, and singed them slightly, before running my smoking hands through the rest of her hair.

"You just burnt my hair!" Bella shrieked.

"Yes. Turn."

She growled slightly, and gave me a weak glare, but did as I said. I burnt the bottom of her shirt, hoping the smoky smell might hide her scent.

Bella stated the obvious. "The others are coming now."

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please," Edward said.

"What about her?" Bella asked, pointing at me. So she _did_ care.

"I'll be fine. They can't touch me."

Edward took a half step, angling himself between me and what was coming. Carlisle came closer, standing protectively in front of me. I positioned myself so he was beside me. I could handle myself.

Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing sounds of passage much too faint for my ears.

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**READ THIS! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!**

**I'm thinking about introducing a new character with James, Laurent and Victoria, and this new person will be Esme's mate. It's pretty much decided, as this will tie up a loose end, BUT please tell me if this will annoy you. Also, feel free to tell me possible names, powers, appearance, personality, ect.**

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**Read, review, fav and follow!**

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**I'm not planning to have Morgana be pregnant, at all. Yes, Bella is a bitch to Morgana, but think of it from her POV. She's grown up being told her sister tried to blow up their house, kill people, ect.**

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**I hope you all enjoyed this Chapter - it's finally picking up.**


	11. Honey, I'm A Little Crazy

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Patience is what you have when there are too many witnesses.**

**Chapter Eleven:**

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They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the another male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack.

The third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that her hair was a startling shade of red.

"I thought you said there were three," I hissed to Alice, who bristled.

"There were!" she defended. "I can't see him!"

The fourth hung to the back, whether as a lack of importance, or because of fear, or even something else, I did not know. He had tousled brown hair, and looked like he was nearly as well built as Emmett was. He stiffened for a moment when he saw the group, and I heard Edward, Jasper and Esme collectively gasp, before he continued moving with the group.

They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Edward's family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind. As they approached, I could see how different they were from the Cullens.

Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. The woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods.

Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Carlisle, who, flanked by Emmett and Jasper, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.

The man in front was easily the most beautiful, his skin olive-toned beneath the typical pallor, his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium build, hard-muscled, of course, but nothing next to Emmett's brawn. He smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth.

The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the loose grouping around me, her chaotic hair quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline.

The second male hovered unobtrusively behind them, slighter than the leader, his light brown hair and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, somehow seemed the most vigilant. Their eyes were different, too. Not the gold or black I had come to expect, but a deep burgundy color that was disturbing and sinister.

The brown haired one sniffed the air curiously, winking at the group.

The darker man, still smiling, stepped toward Carlisle. "We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with the slightest of French accents. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." He gestured to the vampires beside him. "And this is William."

"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett, Morgana and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward and Bella." He pointed us out in groups, deliberately not calling attention to individuals. I made a point of deliberately cleaning my fingernails, trying to play it cool.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.

Carlisle matched Laurent's friendly tone. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation; I guessed that Jasper was using his peculiar gift to control the situation. I could somewhat feel it, though he knew better than to waste time trying to overwhelm me.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent casually inquired. Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry.

"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

"Permanent?" asked William, his voice layered with shock and disbelief. I tried not to look at his glaringly red eyes. "How do you manage that?"

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carlisle invited. "It's a rather long story."

James and Victoria exchanged a surprised look at the mention of the word "home," but Laurent and William both controlled their expression better.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome." William smiled charmingly. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while."

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle explained.

"Of course." Laurent nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he laughed. I scowled at him. "Easy, kitty," he said directly to me. "We'll leave you your game."

I resisted the urge to snarl. "Sorry," Carlisle said politely, trying to diffuse some tension. "She's very, er, territorial."

I rolled my eyes. Territorial? Um, no. How about I just didn't feel like having half the town sucked dry?

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us — Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," he casually added. "Morgana too."

Three things seemed to happen simultaneously while Carlisle was speaking. Bella's hair ruffled with the light breeze, Edward stiffened, and the second male, James, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing her, his nostrils flaring. A swift rigidity fell on all of them as James lurched one step forward into a crouch.

"Back off," I said through gritted teeth. "We had an agreement. You leave us our prey, and we let you pass through."

He paid me no attention, which I guess was good because my heart was thumping and I worried he'd realise I too was not vampire.

"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise. Neither James nor Edward relaxed their aggressive poses. James feinted slightly to the side, and Edward shifted in response.

"She's with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed toward James. Laurent seemed to find Bella's scent less powerful than James, but awareness now dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary step forward.

"I told you," I said, ignoring the looks Rosalie gave me, "to back off."

"We said she's with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice.

"But she's human," Laurent protested. The words were not at all aggressive, merely astounded.

"Yes."

James slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never left me, his nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tensed like a lion in front of Bella.

When Laurent spoke, his tone was soothing — trying to defuse the sudden hostility. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed." Carlisle's voice was still cool.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation." His eyes flicked toward Bella and back to Carlisle. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

"Wait!" Victoria said in a high voice, pointing at me. "She's human too."

The four sniffed the air, and I noticed William take a step forward. "We agreed we would harm any humans," he said pleasantly to his coven.

James glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Laurent and exchanged another brief look with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face.

"Fine," Victoria snapped.

Carlisle measured Laurent's open expression for a moment before he spoke. "We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he called. They gathered together, blocking us from view as they converged. Alice was instantly at my side, and Emmett fell back slowly, his eyes locked on James as he backed toward us.

Emmett grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto his back, before we started speeding through the woods. I couldn't hear if the main group had left yet.

We reached the Jeep in an impossibly short time, and Edward almost flung Bella in the backseat.

"Strap her in," he ordered Emmett, who slid set me in the middle before leaning over me and doing her belts up because apparently she couldn't do them herself.

Alice was already in the front seat, and Edward was starting the engine. It roared to life and we swerved backward, spinning around to face the winding road. Edward was growling something too fast for me to understand, but it sounded a lot like a string of profanities.

Emmett and Alice both glared out the side windows. So did I. We hit the main road, and though our speed increased, I could see much better where we were going. And we were headed south, away from Forks.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked. No one answered. No one even looked at her, beside me, which I only did because she touched my shoulder. "Dammit, Edward! Where are you taking me?"

"We have to get you away from here — far away — now." He didn't look back, his eyes on the road. The speedometer read a hundred and five miles an hour.

"Turn around! You have to take me home!" Bella shouted. She struggled with the harness, tearing at the straps.

'No we don't, Isabella," I snapped.

"Emmett," Edward said grimly. And Emmett secured her hands in his steely grasp. I regretted being in the middle, as he had to awkwardly maneuver himself around me.

"No! Edward! No, you can't do this."

"I have to, Bella, now please be quiet."

"I won't! You have to take me back — Charlie will call the FBI! They'll be all over your family! They'll have to leave, to hide forever!"

"Calm down, Bella." His voice was cold. "We've been there before."

"Isabella Marie Cullen, you shut the _hell_ up!" I shouted. She was giving me a headache, and the stress was making my body warm.

"Not over me, you don't! You're not ruining everything over me!" She struggled violently, with total futility. Alice spoke for the first time.

"Edward, pull over."

He flashed her a hard look, and then sped up.

"Edward, let's just talk this through."

"You don't understand," he roared in frustration. I'd never heard his voice so loud; it was deafening in the confines of the Jeep. The speedometer neared one hundred and fifteen. "He's a tracker, Alice, did you see that? He's a tracker! So's that stupid William, although of course you wouldn't know _that_ because you can't freaking see him!"

I felt Emmett stiffen next to me, and I wondered at his reaction to the word. It meant something more to the three of them than it did to me; I wanted to understand, but there was no opening for me to ask.

"Pull over, Edward." Alice's tone was reasonable, but there was a ring of authority in it I'd never heard before. The speedometer inched passed one-twenty. "Do it, Edward."

"Listen to me, Alice. I saw James's mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession — and he wants her, Alice — Bella, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight."

"He doesn't know where —" He interrupted her.

"How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent's mouth."

Bella gasped, knowing where her scent would lead. "Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" She thrashed against the harness.

"Caught up, have you Bella?" I snapped. Of course I'd be sad if Charlie died, but I doubted James would kill him. He knew how big a coven this was, and he wouldn't want them to have even more reason for revenge.

"She's right," Alice said. The car slowed slightly. "Let's just look at our options for a minute," Alice coaxed.

The car slowed again, more noticeably, and then suddenly we screeched to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. Bella flew against the harness, and then slammed back into the seat. Emmett held me down.

"There are no options," Edward hissed.

"I'm not leaving Charlie!" Bella yelled. He ignored her completely.

"We have to take her back," Emmett finally spoke.

"No." Edward was absolute.

"He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her."

"He'll wait."

Emmett smiled. "I can wait, too."

"You didn't see — you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakable. We'd have to kill him."

Emmett didn't seem upset by the idea. Neither was I. "That's an option."

"And the female. She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too."

"There are enough of us."

"There's another option," Alice said quietly.

Edward turned on her in fury, his voice a blistering snarl. "There — is — no — other — option!"

Emmett and I both stared at him in shock, but Alice seemed unsurprised. The silence lasted for a long minute as Edward and Alice stared each other down. Bella broke it. "Does anyone want to hear my plan?"

"No," Edward growled.

"Bella for the love of all that is good, shut your goddamn mouth!" I could feel my shirt slowly burning now, my skin heated but not yet flaming.

Alice glared at him, finally provoked. "Listen," Bella pleaded. "You take me back."

"No," he interrupted. She glared at him and continued.

"You take me back. I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want."

"No," I said. "That'll never work."

"Yes it will."

"No, Bella, it won't." I was silent for a moment. "I'll fake crazy, then Bella runs after me to convince me to come back."

Emmett stiffened beside me, as did Bella. "Dad'll send you back to England," she said.

"So?" I asked. "It's not the worse institution. Alice, will it work?"

She rubbed her temples. "Better than Bella's running away idea."

"It's too dangerous — I don't want him within a hundred miles of her."

Emmett was supremely confident. "Edward, he's not getting through us."

Alice thought for a minute. "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave them alone."

"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen."

"I demand that you take me home." Bella tried to sound firm. "Please," she said in a much smaller voice.

When Edward spoke, his voice sounded worn. "You're leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. Morgana will fake crazy. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep."

"Carlisle's not going to like this," Emmett muttered.

The Jeep rumbled to life, and he spun us around, the tires squealing. The needle on the speedometer started to race up the dial. A few minutes passed in silence, other than the roar of the engine.

"Bella." Edward's voice was very soft. Alice and Emmett looked out their windows. "If you let anything happen to yourself— anything at all — I'm holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that?"

"Yes," Bella gulped.

"Same goes for you, Shortcake," Emmett joked, poking my side.

"Okay. Bella, I'm sorry for this," I said, pulling off her buckles.

"For what?" she asked, surprised. I didn't give her an answer in voice, instead choosing to slap her harshly on the face, twice. "Ow!"

I inspected my work. A red handprint was steadily appearing, and she rubbed her face.

"Okay, out," I said, pushing her out of the car roughly. "Also, sorry for this."

She held her hands out in front of her face, but I wasn't going to slap her again.

"You goddamn ungrateful bitch!" I shouted, my voice as loud as I could make it. "You think you're so amazing, don't you, Isabitch? You think you're some amazing sister who never does anything wrong and is so bloody perfect, don't you?"

She stumbled back, and I took a step forward. "Answer me!"

"No, no," she said. "I don't."

I shoved her to the ground, and she landed on her ass. "You're so fucking selfish! I hate you, so, _so_ much! I hate _everything, _in this entire freaking _universe!_" I screamed those words to the neighbourhood, and then I actually screamed a blood-curling and glass shattering scream.

"Hey!" Dad said, running out the house. I turned to see that he had his gun in his hand, but he dropped it when he saw it was me making the noise.

"Don't even get me started on you, Dad!" I shrieked, leaving Isabella and stumbling over to his side. "You act like you care, but you don't, do you?"

"Morga-"

"I'm leaving!" I screeched, shoving past Dad and banging my shoulder against his. "I can't take any more of this bullshit!"

Behind me, Bella stood up off the ground and started following me. "Don't leave, M."

"Like you care," I snorted. I ran inside and up to my room, hastily chucking stuff in a duffle bag. I knew Bella was doing the same in her room.

"I'm sorry," Emmett said.

I jumped and turned around to see Emmett in the window. "Shit Emmett, don't scare me like that."

"I'm sorry this happened," he said.

"It's not your fault. Besides, I was gonna have a freak out eventually." I shrugged my shoulders as though I didn't care, but it was honestly tearing me apart.

"Still, it shouldn't have to happen like this."

"It is what it is."

Through the thin walls I could hear Bella and Dad having a conversation.

"No, she knows me better," she said.

"I'm her father!"

"She barely knows you."

"Please don't leave me too."

"I'll be back - I'm going to look for her and then bring her home."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon," I said to Emmett, who had his arms open. He wordlessly picked me up and swung me onto his back, before leaping out of the window.

* * *

**READ, REVIEW, FAV AND FOLLOW!**

* * *

**Damn, another chapter? I'm on a roll. This, kiddies, is what happens when you're on holidays. **

**So it's been decided that Esme's mate is William. Thank you TemporaryShadow for the name. The majority of people seem into the idea, so thats what I'm going with.**

**I'm planning to make him a flirty playboy kinda guy, who is actually a helpless romantic. That said, we probably won't see too much of him. He'll more be a character like Jasper - mentioned because he's a mate to someone somewhat important to Morgana. We'll see how it goes, anyway.**


	12. Honey, You Sparkle

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Mephobia: The fear of becoming so awesome that the human race can't handle it and everyone dies.**

**CHAPTER TWELVE:**

* * *

"Are you alright?" Rosalie asked the second we entered the house. She pulled me over to the couch and sat down next to me on it.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said. "How come James want Bella's blood so bad?"

"Her blood is particularly divine."

I raised my eyebrow at her blunt and almost creepy answer. "Right. And we can't kill him because?"

"Carlisle doesn't feel it humane to kill."

I snorted. Wasn't that the whole point of being a vampire? And if you couldn't kill humans, than at least kill the vampires that did.

"James is a tracker," Emmett said, coming up behind Rosalie and kissing the top of her head. "He thinks of himself as a hunter and nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking, and a challenge is all he asks of life. Suddenly we've presented him with a beautiful challenge — a large clan of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. And wouldn't it be the icing on the cake if he got you, too."

"I shouldn't feel jealous, but why is _Bella_ suddenly so delicious?" It was a fair question. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"We told you," she said. "Your blood smells like ash and fire. It's quite disgusting."

"_Thanks_."

"And you know, it makes vampires wary," Emmett added. "We don't like fire."

"Really?"

He frowned. "Don't sound so excited at that. You're not exactly frightening."

I bared my teeth at him, and he pretended to scream in an overly high-pitched tone.

I heard the Bella's truck rumble, and shot up, near running outside to get her.

"Oh thank goodness," she said to me, hugging me fiercely. I resisted pushing her off.

"Mmhm," I said. "I'm fine."

"Of course you are," she said. She released me and started looking me over carefully. I did the same. Her white skirt was muddy from when I pushed her over, and her face was a little swollen, but she was otherwise okay.

I knew I should apologise, but I didn't really feel comfortable doing that.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Bella asked, looking over my shoulder. I turned around to find myself face to face with Laurent. Behind him was Esme and William, both in deep conversation.

"Great," I muttered.

"He's tracking us," Edward announced, glaring balefully at Laurent. I hadn't heard him come close, although I wasn't surprised Edward was sticking close to his mate.

Laurent's face was unhappy. "I was afraid of that."

Alice danced to Jasper's side and whispered in his ear; her lips quivered with the speed of her silent speech. They flew up the stairs together.

"What will he do?" Carlisle asked Laurent in chilling tones.

"I'm sorry," he answered. "I was afraid, when your boy there defended the brunette, that it would set him off."

"Can you stop him?"

Laurent shook his head. "Nothing stops James when he gets started."

"We'll stop him," Emmett promised.

"I'm helping," I said, crossing my arms.

"No!" Carlisle said, in an almost strangled shout. "You're not helping us kill James."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Carlisle, I am. You can't stop me."

He met my eyes, and I held back a shiver. They were black as night, and unblinking.

"What could you do?" William said, appearing in front of me.

"A lot more than people think," I sneered. "What could _you_ do?"

"I happen to have a defensive shield against physical gifts."

I raised an eyebrow. That was actually pretty cool, and it kinda explained why Alice couldn't see him. I wondered if Jasper's gift would work on him, depending on if it was a mental change of emotion, or hormonal.

"It doesn't," Edward said to me. I glared at him.

"Morgana," Esme said, walking over and taking William's hand. "This is my mate."

"Great," I said testily. His eyes creeped me out. "Don't kill any humans and we won't have a problem."

"You can't actually expect me to stop, can you?"

"I can, and I do."

"Okay, this is not the most important issue here," she said, stepping in between us two. She kissed William's cheek lovingly, and I idly wondered how someone could fall so helplessly in love in a matter of seconds.

"It's the mate bond," Edward said simply, pulling Bella closer to him and holding her tightly.

'Edward, stop reading my goddamn mind."

Laurent shifted uncomfortably in his spot. "You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven."

_His _coven.

The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that, a show. Laurent was shaking his head. He glanced at Bella, then me, perplexed, and back to Carlisle.

"Are you sure the human is worth it?" Laurent asked.

"'_The human'?_" I scoffed.

Edward's enraged roar filled the room; Laurent cringed back. Carlisle looked gravely at Laurent. "I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice."

Laurent understood. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room. "I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north — to that clan in Denali." He hesitated. "Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on… I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry."

He bowed his head, but I saw him flicker another puzzled look at me.

"Go in peace," was Carlisle's formal answer. Laurent took another long look around himself, and then he hurried out the door. The silence lasted less than a second. "How close?"

Carlisle looked to Edward. Esme was already moving; her hand touched an inconspicuous keypad on the wall, and with a groan, huge metal shutters began sealing up the glass wall. I tried to contain my excitement.

"About three miles out past the river; he's circling around to meet up with the female."

"What's the plan?"

"We'll lead him off, and then Alice and yourself will take the girls south."

"Excuse me?" I asked, outraged. No one answered me.

"And then?"

Edward's tone was deadly. "As soon as Bella is clear, we hunt him."

"I guess there's no other choice," Carlisle agreed, his face grim. Edward turned to Rosalie.

"Get her upstairs and trade clothes," Edward commanded. She stared back at him with livid disbelief.

"Why should I?" she hissed. "What is she to me? Except a menace — a danger you've chosen to inflict on all of us."

Bella flinched back from the venom in her voice, clearly shocked at the sudden hostility.

"Rose…" Emmett murmured, putting one hand on her shoulder. She shook it off.

"Esme?" he asked calmly.

"Of course," Esme murmured. Esme was at Bella's side in half a heartbeat, swinging Bella up easily into her arms, and dashing up the stairs.

"Morgana, I'll change with you," Rosalie said, tugging on my arm. I let it burn fiercely.

"Goddammit, Shortcake, this is _not_ the time to throw a fit about being weak."

I bit back a sharply worded retort. "I'm not changing, because I'm not running."

"Morgana, please," Carlisle pleaded. I drew in a sharp breath. "Come to Phoenix. At least pretend that it's for your sister's protection."

I pursued my lips. "Fine."

Rosalie took my arm again, yanking me up the stairs.

She quickly stripped, and I did the same.

"Why don't you at least try to get on with Bella," I asked as I pulled on her white dress that was several sizes too big for me.

"Why bother? She's a human that will expose our secret."

"You get along with me," I reminded. I could understand not liking Bella, but I at least wanted to know why she hated her and not me.

"You have your own secret to protect. You wouldn't sell us out."

That was very much true.

I took a shaky step in Rosalie's stilettos, and nearly fell over, making her laugh loudly. I took one look at her and had to hold back a snort.

My shirt and jacket were like a crop top on her (was I really that short?) and my jeans were far too tight on her. Apparently my sunglasses had my scent on them too, as she had decided to steal them too, and they rested half hanging out of a pocket in the jacket.

It appeared that everything had been settled downstairs in our absence. Edward and Emmett were ready to leave, Emmett carrying a heavy-looking backpack over his shoulder. Carlisle was handing something small to Esme. "Esme, William and Rosalie will be taking your truck, Bella," he told her as he passed.

"Your deathtrap will stay here," he told me.

"Not a deathtrap," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Alice and I will take the Mercedes. We'll need the dark tint in the south." She nodded as well.

"Emmett, Edward, Jasper, take the Jeep. Alice," Carlisle asked, "will they take the bait?"

Everyone watched Alice as she closed her eyes and became incredibly still. Finally her eyes opened. "He'll track the boys. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that." Her voice was certain.

"Let's go." Carlisle held out his arms and I bruegendly allowed him to pick me up and whirl me out the house and out to the driveway where the Mercedes waited.

* * *

I had no idea where I was when I woke up.

The room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same itchy fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls.

I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first. I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we'd raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed.

And I think Carlisle was in the backseat, because I'm pretty sure not thirty minutes into the drive I ended up lying against him as the events of the day caught up with me.

After that, I didn't remember anything. As embarrassing as it was, I'm pretty sure I was asleep for the rest of the trip.

I had no memory of this room. I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was eleven o'clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was lit with the light from the lamps.

I rose stiffly and staggered to the window, pulling back the drapes. It was blindingly light outside. Eleven in the morning, then. My room looked out on a deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place.

I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Rosalie's clothes, and they didn't fit very well at all. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the low dresser.

I quickly dressed in dark tights and a baggy shirt with flowers on it. Why I had this, I had no idea.

I jumped when I heard Carlisle's voice.

"Can I come in?" he asked. I took a deep breath.

"Sure."

He walked in, and looked me over cautiously. "You look like you could still sleep longer," he said.

"I'm not a morning person," I said simply.

I stared at him for a moment, my eyes flicking to each piece of exposed skin, before I burst out laughing.

"What?" he asked self consciously, tugging at his blue shirt.

"Here," I said, my voce filled with mirth, dragging him over to the window which was open. "You sparkle."

It was true. Each bit of skin glowed luminously, and glistened where the sunlight touched. It was like hundreds of thousands of diamonds twinkling across his skin.

I couldn't believe how long it had taken for me to actually see a vampire sparkle.

"Har har," he said drily. He closed the curtains before appearing in front of me.

"Aww," I pouted, "think of how many jokes I would have made, Mr Disco Ball."

He rolled his eyes affectionately.

"Thank you for coming with us," he said, sitting on the bed. I made no move to join him.

"Just because I decided to look after Bella doesn't mean you're off the hook."

"I know," he said, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. "But I hope you'll forgive me eventually."

"I'm sure I will." I was silent for a moment. "What I don't get is _why_ you're so damn protective of me." He didn't answer, which made me suspicious. "Carlisle, why do you care so much."

"You know Alice and Jasper, and Rosalie and Emmett?"

"Vaguely, I've only been sitting with them at lunch for the past few months."

"No, I mean, you know how they're all bonded. And Esme and William, and Bella and Edward."

"Yes. Soulmates, right?"

_Why was he telling me this? _

"Mates would do anything for their mate. Like Edward protecting Bella, and William deciding to help Esme even though they've only known each other for a few hours."

_No. That's not what he was getting at, was it? We couldn't be-_

"We're soulmates."

_And he said it._

"Oh," was my not so eloquent answer.

"And I just want to care for you," he said, finally looking up at me. His eyes were a mix of black and gold, and I couldn't work out why.

"I don't, I don't really, exactly want, you know, _that_."

Carlisle nodded. "I know. Which is why I haven't told you yet."

"I mean, eventually, maybe, but not now and just, ugh, no."

Well this was unintentionally awkward.

"You're a very amusing human, Morgana."

"Oh great," I said sarcastically. "I'm glad I'm useful for something."

"I mean that as a complement," he corrected, pushing my hair out of my face. I hadn't had the chance to pull it up, and it just hung loosely with knots and tangles throughout it. "Can I?"

"Can you what?"

He didn't answer me, instead pulling a brush from out of nowhere and going through my hair with it. I had to admit that he was a lot nicer with a brush than I was - generally I just yanked the knots until they undid themselves or got pulled out of my scalp.

"You don't have to do anything about the bond. You can just pretend it doesn't exist."

"Won't that, like, do something to you?"

"Maybe. But if you were admissible, perhaps I could continue, er, 'hanging out' with you.

"You are the strangest vampire, Carlisle Cullen," I laughed. I mean, at least he tried to stay with the current language. Kinda. "Of course you can. But if you _ever_ stalk me again, I _will_ burn you to ash."

"I would like that."

We sat in silence for the next few minutes. Carlisle deftly braided my hair in two, which was a new style for me, and apparently new to Carlisle, judging on how messy it was. But at least he tried.

"I swear I can do it," he defended.

"Mhm. I believe you."

"I did Rosalie's and that turned okay."

"Sure it did."

"Don't laugh, Morgana. It's not nice."

"I'm not laughing at you," I lied. "A bird hit the street lamp."

Carlisle stared at me with incredulity. "The curtains are closed."

Admittedly, he had a good point.

"I'm going to go say hi to Bella," I said, standing up off the bed, ignoring as he placed a hand to his unbeating heart in a show of mock hurt.

"Morning," she said when I entered the living room. "Pizza?"

She held a slice out to me and I took it.

"I don't know how you eat that," Alice said from the armchair, scrunching her nose up.

"With great pride."

I sat down on the floor, playing with the carpet. "What's the plan?" I asked.

"We wait for the others to call us," Carlisle said from behind me.

"Should they have by now?" Bella asked, her voice laced with worry.

"No. They'll only call if something happens," Alice said. Her eyes flicked to the hotel phone and her bag, before coming back to look at us.

We spent the next few days in a repetitive state. I would wake up, and we'd eat, and we'd watch TV, and we'd ask questions, and then I'd sleep. Not once was I allowed outside the room.

It must've been Wednesday when something finally happened.

Without any warning, Alice had leaped from the couch, landing lightly on her feet. My head had jerked up as I stared at her, startled.

"Something's changed." Her voice was urgent, and her eyes kept rolling back as she was given more and more visions. Carlisle put his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to the couch, sitting her on the edge.

"What do you see?" he asked intently, staring into her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something very far away.

"I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold… a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?"

"I don't know. Something is missing — another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?"

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

Carlisle's voice was calm, methodical, as he questioned her in a practiced way. "What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV… no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Her eyes drifted, then focused on Carlisle's face.

"There's nothing else?"

She shook her head. They looked at each other, motionless.

"What does it mean?" Bella asked. Neither of them answered for a moment, then Carlisle looked at me.

"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room."

"But we don't know where those rooms are?"

"No."

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them." Alice's voice was bleak.

"Should we call?" Bella asked. I picked at my jeans. They traded a serious look, undecided. And the phone rang. Alice was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it. She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first.

"Jasper," she breathed. "Yes," she said, glancing at Bella, and then me. She listened for a long moment. "I just saw him." She described again the vision she'd seen. "Whatever made him get on that plane… it was leading him to those rooms." She paused. "Yes," Alice said into the phone, and then she spoke to Bella.

She held the phone out toward her.

"Hello?" she breathed. "Oh, Edward! I was so worried…. Where are you?….I know. Alice saw that he got away."

I got bored with listening to one side of Bella's conversation, and drifted over to the coffee table, where Alice and Carlisle sat.

Alice was sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. I sat opposite her, watching as she drew.

She created a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold.

"It's a ballet studio," Bella said, startling me. I didn't realise she had finished.

"Do you know this room?" Carlisle's voice sounded calm, but there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't identify. Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner.

"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons — when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same."

"You did ballet?" I asked, surprised.

"For a while." She touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. "That's where the bathrooms were — the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here" — she pointed to the left corner — "it was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room — you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

"Are you sure it's the same room?" Carlisle asked, still calm.

"No, not at all — I suppose most dance studios would look the same — the mirrors, the bar." She traced her finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. "It's just the shape that looked familiar."

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Alice asked.

"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer — they always put me in the back for recitals," she admitted. That I could believe.

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Alice asked intently.

"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere."

"Where was the studio you went to?" Carlisle asked in a casual voice.

"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school…"

"You did?"

"Here in Phoenix, then?" His voice was still casual.

"Yes," Bella whispered. "Fifty-eighth Street and Cactus." We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing. "Alice, is that phone safe?"

"Yes," she reassured me. "The number would just trace back to Washington."

"Then I can use it to call my mom."

"I thought she was in Florida."

"She is — but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while…"

"How will you reach her?" "They don't have a permanent number except at the house — she's supposed to check her messages regularly."

"Carlilse?" Alice asked. He thought about it. "I don't think there's any way it could hurt — be sure you don't say where you are, of course."

Bella reached eagerly for the phone and held it in her hand. "Morgana, do, do you want to say something?"

"Not particularly, no."

She gave me a glare that was mixed with a frown and began dailing.

It rang four times, and then I heard my Mother's breezy voice telling us to leave a message.

"Mom," Bella said after the beep, "it's me. Listen, I need you to do something. It's important. As soon as you get this message, call me at this number."

Alice held a piece of paper out to Bella who read off of it.

"Please don't go anywhere until you talk to me. Don't worry, I'm okay, but I have to talk to you right away, no matter how late you get this call, all right? I love you, Mom. Bye."

"Are you alright?" Carlisle asked me.

"Why wouldn't I be?"


	13. Honey, I Have An Idea

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Dear Friday, I'm glad we're back together. I'm sorry you had to see me with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but I was thinking of you the whole time.**

* * *

**Warning, not at all edited.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**

* * *

I could feel it was too early again when I woke, and I knew I was getting the schedule of my days and nights slowly reversed. I lay in my bed and listened to the quiet voices of Alice and Bella in the other room.

"Morning," Carlisle said.

"I thought I told you to stop stalking me," I said, pushing my covers off and stepping out of bed.

"I don't remember that," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"I'm sure you don't."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his soft laugh, and threw my hair up into a bun before walking out of the room.

"You look like a mess," Bella said to me the second I was in her sight.

"Thanks, Isabella. I love you tips."

She frowned at me, holding her hair out and feeling the ends of her hair that were still obviously burnt.

"What did you see?" I asked Alice, who were lazily sketching a copy of a picture. Multiple other drawings were in little scrunched up balls littered around the room. I picked one up and threw it at Carlisle, who caught it deftly in his hands and crushed it to dust. "Dramatic, much?"

"Something's brought him back to the room with the VCR, but it's light now," Alice said.

Alice drew a square room with dark beams across its low ceiling. The walls were paneled in wood, a little too dark, out of date. The floor had a dark carpet with a pattern in it. There was a large window against the south wall, and an opening through the west wall led to the living room.

One side of that entrance was stone — a large tan stone fireplace that was open to both rooms. The focus of the room from this perspective, the TV and VCR, balanced on a too small wooden stand, were in the southwest corner of the room. An aged sectional sofa curved around in front of the TV, a round coffee table in front of it.

"The phone goes there," Bella whispered, pointing. "That's my mother's house."

I looked closer at the picture. Outside the window Alice had drawn the little garden Bella had once played in, and I could see a few photos of her on the top of the fireplace. None of me, though I already knew that.

Alice was already off the couch, phone in hand, dialing. I stared at the precise rendering of my mother's family room.

Carlisle drifted towards me, lightly touching his hand to my shoulder, and the physical contact seemed to make his calming influence stronger. The panic stayed dull, unfocused.

Alice's lips were trembling with the speed of her words, the low buzzing impossible to decipher. I couldn't concentrate.

"Bella," Alice said. "Bella, Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while."

"Edward is coming?" Her tone was even, but I could hear the underlying excitement.

"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him."

"But, my mother… he came here for my mother, Alice!"

"Jasper and I will stay till she's safe."

"You do realise she is _not_ the greatest mother on Earth, right Isabella?"

"She's scatterbrained, sure, but she's a good mum," Bella defended.

"_So_ not what I meant," I muttered. Carlisle wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his hold.

"I can't win, Alice," Bella rambled. "You can't guard everyone I know forever. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I love… Alice, I can't —"

"We'll catch him, Bella," she assured her.

"And what if you get hurt, Alice? Do you think that's okay with me? Do you think it's only my human family he can hurt me with?"

She had a point. If one of the Cullens got hurt...

Bella stood up and half-stormed out of the room, banging the door behind her.

"What am I doing?" I asked. Alice looked at me, confused.

"Staying with Bella, of course."

"Yeah, no. If she's going into hiding, then there's no way I'm going with her."

Alice pursed her lips. "It'll be safer for you."

"Which is kinda my problem. You can't lock me up with Bella and tell me to pretend I'm guarding her."

"Please, Sweetheart," Carlisle asked in a soft voice.

"No, Carlisle."

"It's for your own safety."

"He can't touch me without getting burned to a crisp."

"She got a point," Alice said, her eyes closed. "He can't hurt her."

Carlisle glared at me. "I can't lose you," he said gruffly.

"I'll be fine."

He took a deep breath, although I know he didn't need to. "If you promise to stay safe, I will allow you to go with Esme and Rosalie."

I raised an eyebrow. "Reword that, will you?"

"If you promise to be safe, I won't argue with you further on the matter."

"Better."

Alice coughed lightly. "They're just boarding their plane," Alice told us, holding her phone in her hand. "They'll land at nine-fortyfive."

We nodded stoically. The phone rang in her hand again, and she looked surprised.

"Hello?" Alice asked. "No, but Morgana is." Your mother, she mouthed. She held the phone out to me. I didn't take it.

She waved it in front of my face, making puppy dog eyes, and I held it gingerly in my hands.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice clipped.

"Bella? Bella?"

"Yeah, no. It's me," I said, standing up.

"Oh Morgana," she sighed. "Where's Bella?"

It was a phrase I had heard once or twice in the few times I spoke to her, her finding me alone and asking me where my big sister had run off to.

I walked over to Bella's room, opening it without care of her privacy. "Mother's on the phone," I said to Bella. She took the phone happily from me, and I leant against the doorway.

"Calm down, Mom," Bella said in a soothing voice. "Everything is fine, okay? Just give me a minute and I'll explain everything, I promise. Mum?"

Her face went pale, and she gripped my shirt, pulling me over.

"I don't want to speak to-"

"Hello, Morgana darling," a voice that most definitely not my mother's interrupted. "Be very careful not to say anything until I tell you to."

I shared a panicked look with Bella.

"Now, I don't need to hurt your mother, so Please say, 'No, Mom, stay where you are.'"

"No, Mom, stay where you are," Bella whispered.

"Say, 'Mom, please listen to me.' Say it now."

"Mom, please listen to me."

"There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no."

"Yes," Bella said, her voice shaking.

"But they can still hear you, I'm sure."

"Yes."

"All right, then," the agreeable voice of who I assumed was James continued, "say, 'Mom, trust me.'"

"Mom, trust me." "

This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your mother arrived ahead of schedule. It's easier this way, isn't it? Less suspense, less anxiety for you. Now I want you to listen very carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no."

"No."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your mother's life depended on it? Answer yes or no."

I glared at Bella. "No," I said forcefully into the phone.

"Ah, is that Morgana again? Not even on your mother's life?"

"No."

If we didn't go, then James couldn't hurt Mum, because then he'd have no hostage or bait.

"Yes," Bella corrected. I stomped on her foot, making her yelp.

"Bella?" Alice called through the door. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said nervously, her voice rising in pitch. "Just tripped."

I rolled my eyes. The words were believable, but she was a terrible liar.

"Good girl. I'm glad you're so much smarter than your sister. I'm sure it won't be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well, that would be very bad for your mother," James promised. "You must know enough about us by now to realize how quickly I would know if you tried to bring anyone along with you. And how little time I would need to deal with your mother if that was the case. Do you understand? Answer yes or no."

"Yes," Bella said quietly.

"Very good, Bella. Now this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your mother's house. Next to the phone there will be a number. Call it, and I'll tell you where to go from there. Can you do that? Answer yes or no."

"Yes."

"Before noon, please, Bella. I haven't got all day," he said politely.

"Where's Phil?" she asked tersely.

"Ah, be careful now, Bella. Wait until I ask you to speak, please. It's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them. Tell them that your mother called, and that you talked her out of coming home for the time being. Now repeat after me, 'Thank you, Mom.' Say it now."

"Thank you, Mom."

"Fuck you," I snapped.

"Now now, Morgana, no need to get testy. Is that how you would talk to your mother?"

"A hundred percent."

"Morgana, no," Bella whispered.

"Good Bella. Listen to your sister, darling, she's a lot smarter than you are. Say, 'I love you, Mom, I'll see you soon.' Say it now."

"I love you, Mom. I'll see you soon," she promised.

"Goodbye, ladies. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Bella, _no_," I said.

"**That's our mother**," she typed into her phone. I pulled it out of her hands and typed "**She's not very good at it anyway"**. Bella glared at me.

"**I'm going and you can't stop me."**

"**I'll call Edward."**

"**Then the Cullens will get hurt if I didn't," **she reasoned.

"**I'm going with you then." **As much as she annoyed me, I wasn't about to let her run off on her own. At least I could handle myself, she, on the other hand, was a walking magnet for danger.

"**Good."**

My decision was made. I had to think clearly, because Alice and Carlisle were waiting for me, and evading them was absolutely essential, and absolutely impossible.

"**I have an idea," **Bella texted me. Thank god, because I sure as hell didn't have one. I didn't ask her for the plan, because I knew if I did then Alice would see, and it was going to be difficult enough with only one of us knowing it.

* * *

Hey! I'm back, maybe. We'll see how it goes. Thank you for all your support - when I checked back on my account, and saw all the positive reviews, I instantly had to keep writing! That said, it could be a while before my next chapters, so...


	14. Honey, I'll Light Him Up Like It's Xmas

**TODAY'S QUOTE: **

**I'm hiding from exercise. I'm in the fitness program.**

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**Chapter Fourteen**

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We arrived at the airport, and I had to wear my sunglasses to stop my eyes from dying from the harsh lighting. It was just as I remembered - whitewashed walls, blinding lighting systems, large crowds and little shops.

The Cullen's plane was landing in terminal four, the largest terminal, where most flights landed — so it wasn't surprising that it was theirs.

Bella and I sat on one of the couches, me laying obnoxiously across it and flipping off the people that moaned about it. I was tired, damn it. Carlisle and Alice spent a long time looking at the departing flights board. I could hear them discussing the pros and cons of New York, Atlanta, Chicago.

Several times they offered to go get breakfast with us. Later, Bella told them. I didn't answer, preferring to pick at my nails scratch off the polish. Rude yes, but at that point I was worried as hell. I didn't even like my mother. Risking my safety for Bella's I could do. For mums? I'd rather not.

"I think I'll eat now," Bella said, poking my leg draped on her lap. She gave me a pointed look, and I rolled off her, standing up.

"I'll come with you girls," Carlisle said, smiling tightly. Alice gave a little wave with her hand, sending us forward. Bella walked a little in front of us, and Carlisle had his hand on the small of my back, holding me to his side protectively. It was kinda sweet, I guess.

We walked slowly, Bella dismissing all the cafes we passed, despite seeing a few that looked pretty decent. She finally stopped us in front of a bathroom.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"Not at all," Carlisle said.

"I'll go with you," I said to her, before turning back to him. "It's a girl thing."

"I'll take your word for it," he said softly, his mouth tugging up into a small smile. His hand lingered on my back before I pushed forward, following Bella in.

As soon as the door shut behind us, Bella grabbed my hand tightly and started running with me.

"Bella, what-"

I trailed off as she pulled me through a second door, an exit out into the carpark. If Carlisle stayed where he said he would, we'd never be in his line of sight. I didn't look behind me as I ran. This was our only chance, and even if he saw me, I had to keep going. People stared, and I glared harshly at them.

Around the corner the elevators were waiting, and we dashed forward, throwing my hand between the closing doors of a full elevator headed down. We squeezed in beside the irritated passengers, and Bella checked to make sure that the button for level one had been pushed.

One woman huffed at me, and I 'accidentally' stomped on her foot.

As soon as the door opened we were off again, to the sound of annoyed murmurs behind me. I slowed myself as I passed the security guards by the luggage carousels, only to break into a run again as the exit doors came into view. I had no way of knowing if Carlisle was looking for me yet. I would have only seconds if he was following my scent.

Along the crowded curb there wasn't a cab in sight. A shuttle to the Hyatt was just closing its doors a few feet behind me. I dragged Bella forward, and we just caught up to it.

"Wait!" she called, running, waving at the driver.

"This is the shuttle to the Hyatt," the driver said in confusion as he opened the doors.

"Yes," Bella huffed, "that's where we're going."

He looked askance at our luggage-less state, but then shrugged, not caring enough to ask. Most of the seats were empty. Bella sat as far from the other travelers as possible, but I prefer to sit up at the front, watching my surroundings carefully to see if I could spot Carlisle yet.

When we stopped, we got out and ran to a cab, sliding into the seat behind the driver. Bella told the surprised cabbie my mother's address. "I need to get there as soon as possible."

"That's in Scottsdale," he complained. I growled under my breath and Bella threw four twenties over the seat.

"Will that be enough?"

"Sure, kid, no problem."

The garden had grown wildly, and I snapped a branch of a tree that hung over the footpath. Bella ran to the door, but I stayed at the tree, fingering the sticks that I now held in my hands. I removed a glove and held the branch between my fingers, willing ribbens of fire to curl around the leaves and burn it to a fine ash that fell onto my boots.

"Morgana?" Bella called, her face a pale white. "Come on."

It was dark inside, empty, normal. I followed Bella to the phone, turning on the kitchen light on my way. There, on the whiteboard, was a ten-digit number written in a small, neat hand. Bella held the phone to her ear. It rang only once, and then she put it on speaker.

"Hello, Bella," that easy voice answered. "Morgana. That was very quick. I'm impressed."

"Is my mum all right?" Bella asked, chewing her lip. I took the phone from her when I noticed her hand shaking.

"She's perfectly fine. Don't worry, Bella, I have no quarrel with her. Unless you didn't come alone, of course." Light, amused.

"I'm alone."

"Very good. Now, do you know the ballet studio just around the corner from your home?"

"Yes. We know how to get there," Bella said.

"Well, then, I'll see you very soon."

He hung up on us, and I shared a look with Bella. "Are you okay?" I asked, noting her paleness.

She nodded, but didn't speak. She reached out with her fingers and lightly touched my cheek. "Morg, if someth-"

"Don't, Bella," I warned. "We'll be fine."

"But -"

"Nope. Come on - you'll have to lead."

She smiled tightly, and pulled off the glove I still had on, folding it neatly with the other one and placing it on the bench.

I followed her out the house, rolling my eyes when she locked the door and put the keys under a flowerpot before breaking into a run. It was a short run - Bella was slow, and it was easy to keep up. I could have overtaken her, but I didn't know where we were going. Not that it was that hard, though. Just around the corner, and then taking a right.

The parking lot in front was empty, the vertical blinds in all the windows drawn. As I got closer, I could see the sign inside the door. It was handwritten on hot pink paper; it said the dance studio was closed for spring break. I touched the handle, tugged on it cautiously. It was unlocked. The lobby was dark and empty, cool, the air conditioner thrumming. The plastic molded chairs were stacked along the walls, and the carpet smells like shampoo. The west dance floor was dark, I could see through the open viewing window. The east dance floor, the bigger room, was lit. But the blinds were closed on the window.

Mother's voice called. "Bella? Bella?" That same tone of hysterical panic. The exactly same words I had heard so, so many times before. "Bella, you scared me! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Her voice continued as we ran into the long, high-ceilinged room. I stared around me, trying to find where her voice was coming from. There she was, on the TV screen, tousling Bella's hair in relief.

It was Thanksgiving time, and Bella looked like she was maybe twelve. She'd gone to see my grandmother in California, the last year before she died. Bella had told me about it months later, when she came to visit.

And then the TV screen was blue. I turned quickly, my hands out in front of me in fists.

"Can I say I told you so, now?" I asked Bella, who seemed yet to realise the danger we were in.

"Wha- shit."

"Little late, Sister Dear," I said through gritted teeth. I told her it would be a trap, that mum would be fine.

We stared at each other for a long moment, and then he smiled. He walked toward me, quite close, and then passed me to put the remote down next to the VCR.

"You should be nicer to your sister, Morgana," he said. His words were soft and velvety. I tried to keep my palms a steady heat - too much and I'd have to attack, and I didn't have him in a close enough position yet.

"I'm good," I said, pivoting on my foot as he circled us. He laughed, and it made me shiver.

"Very well. Sorry about that, Bella, but isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?"

"Yes," she answered.

"You don't sound angry that I tricked you."

"I'm not."

"Neither am I," I added. "Just disappointed in Bella's stupidity."

She kicked me in the shin, and my knee almost buckled.

"How odd. You really mean it. And you, Morgana, are just a mystery as ever." His dark eyes assessed me with interest. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. Thirsty. "I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing — some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all. Some are quite dangerous in their own ways."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriends will avenge you?" he asked, hopefully it seemed to me.

"No, I don't think so. At least, I asked him not to."

"Not my boyfriend," I muttered.

He ignored me. "And what was his reply to that?" he asked Bella.

"I don't know. I left him a letter."

"How romantic, a last letter. And do you think he will honor it?" His voice was just a little harder now, a hint of sarcasm marring his polite tone.

"I hope so."

"Hmmm. Well, our hopes differ then. You see, this was all just a little too easy, too quick. To be quite honest, I'm disappointed. I expected a much greater challenge. And, after all, I only needed a little luck. When Victoria couldn't get to your father, I had her find out more about you. There was no sense in running all over the planet chasing you down when I could comfortably wait for you in a place of my choosing. So, after I talked to Victoria, I decided to come to Phoenix to pay your mother a visit. I'd heard you say you were going home. At first, I never dreamed you meant it. But then I wondered. Humans can be very predictable; they like to be somewhere familiar, somewhere safe. And wouldn't it be the perfect ploy, to go to the last place you should be when you're hiding — the place that you said you'd be.

"But of course I wasn't sure, it was just a hunch. I usually get a feeling about the prey that I'm hunting, a sixth sense, if you will. I listened to your message when I got to your mother's house, but of course I couldn't be sure where you'd called from. It was very useful to have your number, but you could have been in Antarctica for all I knew, and the game wouldn't work unless you were close by.

"Then your boyfriend got on a plane to Phoenix. Victoria was monitoring them for me, naturally; in a game with this many players, I couldn't be working alone. And so they told me what I'd hoped, that you were here after all. I was prepared; I'd already been through your charming home movies. And then it was simply a matter of the bluff.

"Very easy, you know, not really up to my standards. So, you see, I'm hoping you're wrong about your boyfriend. Edward, isn't it? And your not-boyfriend, Carlisle? Would you mind, very much, if I left a little letter of my own for your mates?" He took a step back and touched a palm-sized digital video camera balanced carefully on top of the stereo. A small red light indicated that it was already running. He adjusted it a few times, widened the frame. I stared at him in horror. "I'm sorry, but I just don't think they'll be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. And I wouldn't want him to miss anything. It was all for him, of course. You're simply a human, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd, I might add." He stepped toward me, smiling. I curled my fists tighter, holding them up just above my belly button.

"Before we begin…" I felt a curl of nausea in the pit of my stomach as he spoke. "I would just like to rub it in, just a visions. In the nineteen-twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments. When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before. The old vampire made her a strong new vampire, and there was no reason for me to touch her then." He sighed. "I destroyed the old one in vengeance."

"Alice," Bella breathed, astonished.

"Yes, your little friend. I was surprised to see her in the clearing. So I guess her coven ought to be able to derive some comfort from this experience. I get you, but they get her. The one victim who escaped me, quite an honor, actually. And she did smell so delicious. I still regret that I never got to taste… She smelled even better than you do. Sorry — I don't mean to be offensive. You have a very nice smell. Floral, somehow… Not you though. For sisters, you don't smell at all the same. You're like… ash, and coal?"

"I've been told," I said drily. "There's a reason for that, if you'd like to know?"

He took another step toward me, till he was just inches away. He lifted a lock of my hair and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the strand back into place, and I felt his cool fingertips against my throat. He reached up to stroke my cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious.

"Why not?" he asked. His thumb rested just above a vein. He clearly had no problem with me. Obviously he didn't know what I could do.

My fingers twisted themselves in the buttons of his shirt, ghosting against his chest. "Are you sure?" I asked, my voice a little husky. Bella made a whimpering sound behind me.

"Sure."

I pressed my hand to his skin, putting all my fire power into it, and I could smell a sickly sweet smoke fill the air.

"Argh!" He shouted, pushing himself off me, speeding to the mirror and holding a hand to his chest. I didn't know how fast it would work, but my hands burned through pretty quickly. Imagine the hole in Iron Man's chest, but in a handprint shape, I guess. It was a little gruesome - there was no blood, just a hollow. "Bitch!"

"I don't like that word," I said. I felt Bella grip my arm tightly, and I let it warm enough that she backed off. "Run," I told her.

"I-"

"Run."

She listened that time, bolting to the door. James chased after her, throwing her against the wall with a sickening crack. I threw my hands out in front of me, and ribbens of fire twisted through the air, wrapping themselves around James.

He screamed loudly, trying to pull them off. He decided that that wouldn't work, and began running around the room, making the fire wrap itself around me, singeing my clothes before I forced it to turn off.

He laughed. "An impressive trick," he said, as though he wasn't wearing tattered clothes, and he had deep indents in his body where chunks has been squeezed(?) off.. I tried to ignore the white spots in my vision, trying to guess his next move. I guessed wrong, expecting him to escape when he in fact raced to Bella, cradling her in his arms and biting into her neck.

"What the actual fuck?" I asked no one in particular, more than a little disturbed by the sticky blood falling out his mouth.

He smiled at me through a mouthful of blood, dropping Bella on the ground when she started screeching and convulsing. I spared her a quick look before focusing on the biggest problem.

I held my hands together, feeling a ball of fire grow in my palms. I chucked it at James and he ducked as it soared above his head, shattering the mirror from the heat.

"So cool," I said, looking at my hands. I don't think I had ever done that before then. I flicked my hands out again, and the fire wrapped itself around throat, pulling tighter as it went.

"Morgana!" Carlisle called from behind me, and my head instinctively snapped around to see him, accidentally breaking my concentration.

I stared at Carlisle for a fraction of a moment, noting his tousled hair, and his crumpled shirt, and a look of absolute fear and love (and oh god love) and everything in between, and James slammed into me, pushing me into a wall.

"Holy Christ on a bike," I groaned, pressing my palms against his face and melting it. It dripped onto me like candle wax, and I gagged.

He was thrown off me and Carlisle appeared in front of me, holding my chin and looking at my eyes. He dragged me out of the plaster and sat me down so I was leaning against an undestroyed wall. "It's alright, Morgana, you can rest now. Just, let's count, alright. You'll be right, okay. One, two, three-"

I gave him an annoyed look. "Carlisle, shut up," I said, scrambling to get off the floor. He kept me down.

"Morgana, it's been a long day, you need -"

"I'll be fine," I said. My face softened, and I saw the true extent of his worry in his eyes. "Really. No broken bones, no pain."

Bella screamed loudly, making my ears ring. "Okay," I amended, pushing him off me. He let me this time. "I have no pain. What's wrong with her?"

"She's changing," he said softly. "James bit her."

"Carlisle!" Edward yelled. My eyes flicked over to him, him sobbing dramatically over Bella's still convulsing body.

"That looks painful," I said. "Sorry."

"No, it is," he said. He kissed my forehead. "It's-"

"Carlisle!"

"Go on, save my sister," I said. I was very clearly out of it. Generally I'd freak out at least a little more. He nodded solemnly, before disappearing and reappearing in front of the two.

"You look well," Rosalie said sarcastically, walking up to me. She bumped my hip with hers, draping my jacket over my shoulders.

"Oh good, I missed you."

"I misse -"

"I was talking to the jacket," I interrupted. I held a steady face for a moment, before laughing. "Kidding," I said. I hugged her side, my face barely reaching her shoulder.

"You'd better be," she warned. Somehow she still looked amazing. She was wearing tights and a shredded purple shirt, and her hair was knotted and frayed at a few ends, and she still rocked it.

I looked over at Edward, gagging again at the sight. He looked like he was sucking her dry.

"He's taking the venom out of her," she explained. I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Wanna help burn the place down?"

"Excuse me?"

"It won't be tied to you - we just want to get rid of any evidence. We get to blow it up," she teased.

"Why not?" I said, already walking to the next room, ready to set it ablaze.

* * *

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

* * *

**Thanks to DxGRAYxMAN, who gave me the idea for this chapter's name. Hope you don't mind! ;)**

**Yes, I updated this exact same chapter 3 times, I had a problem with the paragraphs. Sorry.**


	15. Honey, We Can Wait

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**Of course I talk to myself - sometimes I need expert advice.**

"For the last time," I growled, trying to ignore Dad's worried face, "I've got it under control. Dr Cullen gave me meds to take, and I'm stable," I lied.

He sighed and reached out to touch my face, putting his hand on my cheek. I almost ripped it off, not at all comfortable with it, but that would kinda defeat the whole pretending that I was 100 % normal thing I had going on. Of course, it wasn't like I was actually crazy, but Dad didn't know that.

"Just, I'm worried about you," he said. "And your mother is looking for any excuse to blame you for Bella's accident. And that ballet studio fire."

"I wasn't even anywhere near her when it happened!" I lied again. "I was in Port Angeles, checking out this witchy store. They had a sale on animal sacrifice tables." Dad gave me an unimpressed look. "Why Bella thought I'd be in Phoenix I have no idea."

"Maybe because it's your house?" he asked, giving me an odd look.

"Maybe," I muttered. "Oh look, there's Rosalie."

"I don't -"

I brushed past him, cutting him off to go great Rosalie. "Hey Angel," I said, taking the coffee from her hands and bumping my hip against hers. "How's it hanging?"

She laughed sweetly, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Better than you look," she said, touching my shirt with mild distance. "You need to shower."

"I did this morning," I defended, slightly offended.

"Yes, and you still smell like smoke and ash and blood."

I rolled my eyes. "Only to you vampires," I grumbled. "Stupid extra senses."

"Not extra, just enhanced," she said.

"Same thing. How's Bella?"

"Do we have to talk about her?" Rosalie whined. She almost reminded me of a puppy, in a weird way. "She's fine. Your mother is giving her a billion buckets of love, and Edward is creepily watching over her."

"He, be nice about your brother," Esme said, walking up to us. She lightly patted Rosalie's cheek. "He almost lost his mate."

"So did Carlisle, but you don't see him being all sulky about it."

Esem pursued her lips, and I took that as my cue to leave the conversation before my name got dragged into the half-hearted argument.

I tapped on the door frame, wincing at the sight of Bella. Tubes were covering Bella's hands, bandages wrapped around her head and ribs, and a bright blue cast plastered on her leg. And yet, she and Edward were engaged on a passionate kiss that had her heart monitor beeping erratically.

"This room is disturbingly bland," I said. I walked over to the blind and pulled them open letting bright sunlight stream into the room. Edward's skin began to sparkle, and Bella pulled away from the kiss, staring adoringly at him. "Gross," I said, rolling my eyes. "Also, glad to see you're alive. Next time you stay home, kay Isabella?"

She nodded at me dopely, before screaming. "Edward! The curtains!"

"Calm down, Isabella." I pulled the string on the blinds so that they snapped shut. "He's fine, you're fine, and his sparkling is still ridiculous."

She threw a pillow at me, surprisingly hitting me for once, and I threw it back, just in time for Mother dearest to walk in.

"Morgana Swan!" she screeched. "How dare you! First you run away, then you get your sister injured by pushing her down a staircase and then you go and throw stuff at her!

"Woah, no, I did not push her down the stairs! The fact that you think I would is-"

"It's not like you've made me think of any other reasons your sister would fall down 3 flights of stairs!"

"Maybe she's just clumsy!"

"Maybe you went crazy!"

"Is it always like this?" Edward asked Bella in a would be whisper, if he wasn't so loud from shock.

"Yeah, but generally-" Mum swung her purse at me, and I only just ducked her swing. "No, there it is."

"I am your mother! You will show me the respect I deserve. And what the hell are you wearing?"

Really? She wanted to bring up my outfit? It wasn't even that gothic, or weird. It was just a borrowed black shirt from Rosalie, my boots and my jeans.

I raised an eyebrow at her, but stopped shouting. "I am… sorry mother," I said, biting back the words I longed to scream at her. " But I assure you I would never try to kill Bella. I wasn't even in Phoenix."

"Ah hah! How'd you know where she was hurt?" she asked accusingly, pointing her pointer finger at me.

"Dad told me," I said. It wasn't even a lie. "Can I go now? I'd rather be, like, anywhere else."

I didn't wait for her answer, sweeping out of the room and leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"Bella will be fine."

I jolted at Carlisle's smooth, calming voice. I turned my head to see him standing next to me.

"That's not my issue at the moment."

He sighed. "I know. Believe me, I wish I could just make your problems with your mother go away, I really do."

"I believe you."

He smiled adoringly at me. On Bella that smile was sickeningly sweet, on him, it was… something. Something nice, that made my heart almost skip a beat.

"I'm glad you're alright," he said, his voice softer. He moved closer to me, and I took a step forward. "It was kind of, what's the word? Badass, for you to take on James."

I laughed. Him swearing, even though technically he wasn't even swearing, was kinda adorable. Oh my god, what the hell is wrong with me? Since when do I think of Carlisle as 'adorable'?

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, staring straight into my eyes. Hishand cupped my cheek, and I half forgot how to breath. He leant closer, his lips just millimeters from mine.

And then I ducked, and the moment was broken. Was he about to kiss me? Without a doubt. Did I want him to kiss me? That was a lot more complicated.

"Erm, sorry," Carlisle said, partially stuttering, which was odd for a man who always seemed so articulate. "I didn't mean to make things awkward or weird, or ruin things, or-"

I cut him off. "It's fine," I said, though my voice was a little tighter than it could've been. " I'm just not ready. It's not that I don't want to kiss you, I would just rather wait?" I hated that it sounded like question. "I just don't entirely feel comfortable kissing someone who looks ten years my senior."

He nodded sadly, before seeming to perk up a bit. "I get it. I can wait. At least it's not entirely unrequited."

I thanked the gods he was so understanding. Most wouldn't be.

And we would wait. And then maybe, I'd let us be together.


	16. Honey, I'm A Tough Cookie

**TODAY'S QUOTE:**

**They say don't try this at home… so I'm going over to my friend's house to try it.**

《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡

"William," I said, trying to hide my dislike for the man. Normally I wouldn't bother, but with Esme standing in front of me, her arm wrapped around his waist and her head on his shoulder, I felt that it would be mean to her to be rude.

How I hadn't properly met with him before, I didn't really know, but I was willing to try to be nice for angel on earth turned vampire Mother Esme.

He held his hand out to me, and I shook it. His hand seemed colder than the Cullens, and I briefly wondered if it had to do with his diet.

Apparently he was now going 'vegetarian', but his eyes were still glaringly red.

"Hello Morgana," he said pleasantly. "I'm sorry I thought about killing you."

Esme whacked his chest, and he frowned, whispering something in her ear. She responded with something so fast I couldn't make it out.

"What I mean to say is that I apologise for originally being a human blood drinker."

I smiled tightly at him. " No harm, no foul."

"Thank you," he said.

"Oi Will!" Emmett's voice came, carrying through the house. "Come play Fast and Furious with me!"

William kissed Esme's cheek and disappeared, presumably off to play video games.

"He's a little awkward," Esme said, "but you'll like him once you get to know him."

I didn't particularly want to get to know him, but I felt myself nodding with her. "He seems nice," I said, as naturally as possible. She beamed at me.

"He's a sweetheart, honestly. And he used to be a chef."

"That's good enough for me," I said, making Esme laugh. "How old is he?"

I followed her inside the house. At this point I was almost immune to the beautiful interior design. Almost.

"34. But he was only changed twelve years ago - he's only really just past the newborn stage."

"Newborn?" The word felt strange on my tongue - obviously she didn't mean newborn in the sense he was only just born.

"Yes, dear. Newborn. It's what we call vampires who have only just been turned. It's when we're at our strongest, the human blood running through our veins power newborns. Peach?"

I made a sound of agreement, and she grabbed one from the fruit bowl and handed it to me.

"So only drinking animals... does that make you weaker than human drinkers?"

It was a question I had wanted to ask for ages. Esme made a so-so gesture with her hand.

"We've never tested it, actually. But it depends on the vampire. Emmett is much stronger than I am, and I always eat more than he does. I don't believe blood males too much of a difference."

"Weird..." I said. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Life is weird. Now, are you all coming back for dinner, or are you going to a restaurant?"

Decisions, decisions. Prom was tonight, and like the last dance, I was going stag and hanging with the Cullens. I had my dress ready, courtesy of Alice and Rosalie who had sewed it with utmost secrecy - all I knew was that apparently I was going to look amazing in it.

Bella was going too, with Edward though. How he managed to convince her to go to a dance I didn't know, especially with her leg all done up in a cast up to her knee. It can not have been an easy task. The only time I could think of Bella dancing was her ballet lessons. The ones I was still pissed she had never told me about.

At least to make up for it, Bella and Edward were getting ready at home.

Esme cocked her head to the side. "Alice says back here." Apparently Pixie was listening in on our conversation. Or had foreseen it - both options were equally creepy. "I think I'll try making lasagna tonight. It should be a fun challenge, considering I've never tasted it before."

My jaw almost dropped in shock. "You've never had lasagna before?"

She laughed. "Not that I can remember," she said. She pulled her brown hair into a ponytail, and started going through the kitchen drawers.

"Remind me not to become a vampire," I said, jumping off the counter stool and walking to the stove top. I picked up a 'Fantastic Italian Dinners' cookbook and passed it to her. "All that food I'd miss out on trying... Sorry Esme."

She laughed again. "Don't worry about it, Morgana." Her face became dark quickly, and she dropped the book on the table and gripped me by the shoulders.

"Esme?" Her grip was tight, for a human at least. Not like, 'crush your bones' tight, but definitely 'gonna leave a bruise' tight. "What are you doing?" I was glad my voice didn't tremble - she was kinda scaring me, what with the way her eyes was fast turning black.

"You don't have to choose now, okay? Don't let the others convince you to change, or not change, or change in case of emergency, or whatever you've thought about."

"Esme, I don't-"

"We can turn you, if you want, or we can leave you to grow old, as long as it's your decision. Okay, Morgana?"

Wait, that's what she was talking about? She thinks the others are trying to get me to turn into a vampire? In the nicest way possible to the Cullens, there was no way I was signing up for Team Vampires. I was supernatural enough as it was.

"Thanks Esme," I said. I noticed her eyes were going back to their normal honey colour, which was good. "I'm not normally one for letting people boss me around, especially with something as important as the whole, 'To be, or not to be', situation. At the moment, it's not to be, but it's good to know all my options."

"Yeah," she said. "You'll be right. You're a tough cookie."

Well that was new. I think the last person to call me that was my grandmother, when she came to visit me before she died, which I guess makes sense when you factor in the age.

"Thanks for the advice, though." I smiled at Esme, before wiggling my eyebrows. "Now, release me?"

《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡

Rosalie tugged at my hair, slowly detangling the knots that had appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm just saying, we could add a bow and some sequins," Alice insisted, using the prom dress in front of me.

It was dark black, floor length and strapless, with a cut in the fabric going up the left leg. She had pinned a little ribbon with sequins to the neckline, and tied a bow around the waist.

"And I'm just saying the bow is unnecessary. So are the sequins," Rosalie said. She yanked on a knot and I yelped. "Sorry."

"I actually kinda like the sequins, if you wrap them around the waist. But a bow is going way too far."

Alice adjusted the ribbon of sequins so that it acted like a belt, and removed the bow. "Like this?" I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off. "Don't answer, I already know you love it."

Rosalie eyed the dress carefully. "Maybe if you- yeah. Like that." Alice had, at lightning fast vampire speed, sewn in the ribbon with glittery thread. "Perfect. And just in time too. Help her pull it on, won't you?"

Rosalie didn't let me look or touch my hair, so I had no way to know how to pull the dress on. Thankfully, going by Rosalie's sounds of approval, we had done alright.

She directed me to the full mirror in her room, her hands covering my eyes. "Ready?" she asked.

"With all this drama, I better look good," I grumbled, before smiling at where I assumed she was. "Yeah."

She dropped her hands, and I stared at myself in shock. I looked… kinda pretty. Well, pretty freaking beautiful, if I was being honest. Rosalie had dyed my hair earlier this morning, back at Dads, and I could see the difference it had made, even in the braided bun it waa in. Instead of being straight blue, it was more like the sea, I guess. Light blue roots that darkened, and greenish streaks through it.

While the dress (which was _very_ flattering) was black, my makeup was light and barely noticeable, a massive difference to how I had worn it for the past year. I kinda liked it, but only for the night. It could be my special occasions makeup.

Rosalie appeared next to me, in full dress. "How the hell…" I trailed off. Some things were better not to ask. Like usual, her dress was red, and it looked quite a bit like a ball gown. Her heels were far taller than even I would ever think to wear, and her hair was curled like a princess. Her ears were decorated with dangling hoops. It was totally unfair she had managed to do that all in less than 5 minutes.

"You look drop-dead gorgeous," I said. Her lips didn't seem to be able to decide whether to frown or smile at me, and they settled for an in between thing.

"You know," she began, "sometimes I wonder how you and Emmett get along so well, and then you go and say something like that and it becomes very obvious."

"That we're just equally amazing?"

She just rolled her eyes, no doubt at both just me in general, and Emmett's booming laugh that sounded through the house.

"Come on, Morgana, we have a prom to attend."

《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡

**So, a lot of bonding with Morgana and everyone's favourite vampire mum - I thought it was high time we explored their relationship a bit, especially after last chapter with Wannabe Mum Renee. Morgana needs to know someone is looking out for her.**

**I considered writing the prom dance, but I figured it would just be more ramble between the characters than anything actually useful... No Carlisle in this one though, which sucks, but I have plans to have Morgana and Carlilse talk HEAPS next book.**

**Anyways, TWILIGHT IS DONE! ****And yes, I'm keeping all the writing I do in the one fanfic, so don't worry about having to go hunting for it. **

**Next up, New Moon! Please leave a review telling me how you feel I should go about the whole Cullens leaving thing. I have a pretty solid idea of what I'm doing (thank god) but as always, your input is always wanted****, and I'll definitely take it all into consideration.**

《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡

**Ghostwriter71_ \- _Not in this story. It's not unrequited, it's just the wrong time.**

**Brookie Twiling - A little bit like a pre-teen fangirl, but it totally boosted my ego. I'm glad you think it's thought out. (Don't tell the others, but I actually have very little clue what I'm doing)**

**Bimbumel2 - I'm glad to be back, and thank you**

**RenInWonderland - I gotta admit, at first I was a little worried you were hating on me in your review, so I'm glad you were just yelling at Renee. It's actually really cool to see (read) people getting involved in the story. And yes, Edward making the whole family leave was a pretty weird thing. I have plans for Morgana and Carlilse, ones that should (in theory) work no matter which way I go... What are your thoughts on the Cullens packing up?**

**Marie Yoshina - Thanks, that actually means a lot to me**

**DxGRAYxMAN - I'm really happy you're enjoying my writing**

《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\\[•}¡《¡{~》 \》•[\》}》\

I'd like to also take this chapter to actually acknowledge those who have supported me.

**DXGRAYXMAN**

**Marie Yoshina**

**RenInWonderlandd**

**reptoholic**

**KayStarlight**

**GomezAddams1**

**(and guests)**

These people are my most consistant reviewers, and it has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for sticking with me.

**DXGRAYXMAN**

**Marie Yoshina**

**Bimbumel2**

**Jingerr**

**Temporary Shadow**

**KayStarlight**

**(And guests)**

These are the people that helped me find my motivation in the later chapters when I began to lose steam. It was very much appreciated.

Please review, and thank you all for sticking with me! :)


	17. Honey, My Life's A Little Odd

**TODAY'S QUOTE: One day ****YouTube****, Twitter and Facebook will ****join**** together and be called... ****_'YouTwitFace'_**

My life was, in a word, chaotic. In two words, a giant mess. In three, well, you get the picture.

Not only did I have to deal with the chaos that came with being best mates with a group of vampires, have to work out the kinks in an over the top power, and try and not kill the idiots at school, I now also had to deal with a melodramatic, age obsessed drama queen of a sister.

Honestly. Just kill me now.

Today was her eighteenth birthday, a day I couldn't wait to have for myself and still had to wait a whole year and a half for, and yet here she was near bawling her eyes out because she was now a legal adult.

"I'm going to be so much older then Edward!" she moaned. I passed her a tissue from the coffee table and she blew into it loudly.

"You know he's like, a century old, right?"

She gasped. "Not you too," she complained. "He's seventeen physically."

I rolled my eyes. It was hard to feel sorry for her. If she was just a little upset, then sure, it sucked for her. But for her to be lying on the good parts of the couch, tissues thrown around her and a birthday card from some great aunt I didn't remember torn in half - that's where the pity stopped.

"You do realise he's not gonna break up with you over this, right?" I asked. I used one of Bella's books to flick away a snot covered tissue that was dangerously close to my bare foot.

Bella shot up, standing back straight with her hand covering her mouth in horror. "What if he does?"

"Then he's an idiot. Hey Dad," I said, giving a tiny smile to the man in the doorway. Dad had been amazing towards me in the last couple of months. He had done his best to give me plenty of space, but also watch out for me, which I appreciated.

"Morning Morgana."

He gave a confused look to Bella, to which I shrugged my shoulders. "Hormones," I lied, rolling my eyes. Obviously I couldn't tell him the truth through. Maybe he didn't believe I was crazy now, but I think rambling about vampires would be a little too much for him.

"Right. Well, um, Bella, here's your present."

Bella rolled over on her stomach and stared wide eyed at Dad. "I thought I told you no presents!" she complained. She buried her face into the couch and let out a half scream.

"If it's any consolation," I said, "I didn't bother getting you a present."

She blindly reached out and patted my knee. "Thanks, M. You're the best."

Dad and I shared confused/completely weirded out faces. I hoped she'd realise I didn't get her anything because of 2 reasons. 1, I just honestly couldn't be bothered with putting up with her moods, and 2, I didn't have any mode of transport.

Oh yeah. There was one, tiny little thing I was mad at Dad for. He _may_ have confiscated my bike. And yeah, I was totally pissed at him for it, but the logical side had won over my emotional side with arguments surrounding the fairness of that punishment. I mean, I had basically run away.

This meant I could either ride with Bella, or, the better option, ride with Carlisle. Guess which option I took.

Speaking of which, I could hear his car pulling up now.

I pushed myself off the couch and stood up. "I gotta go Dad, have a great day."

He gave me a tight hug that I endured for all of 3 seconds, before I flew to the doorway. Not only did I want to see Carlisle, I also _really_ needed to get away from Bella's mood swings.

I tugged on my boots (I had been dressed in jeans and a cropped shirt for the past hour) and opened the door to find Carlisle waiting there patiently on the step.

"Good morning Morgana," he said. He nodded his head at the living room. "Am I right I assuming that those sounds are coming from your sister?"

"Yeah. It's her birthday," I said, as if that explained everything. Judging from his face, it didn't. "She's freaking out over being older than Edward. She wants to be a vampire, you see."

Carlisle frowned. "She's only eighteen through, right? That's not that old."

"Tell that to her."

"Your birthday isn't until next year, is it?" he asked. I followed him down the driveway to the car, getting in the passenger seat.

"It's a week before Christmas," I said. "Do you all celebrate birthdays, seeing as how you don't really age?"

"No. Hence why Alice is having a giant party tonight for Bella. She's very excited."

I remembered now - Rosalie and Emmett were picking me up at 7 to help set up. "Bella will love that," I said sarcastically.

Carlisle hummed in agreement. "Morgana," he said quietly, a moment later. "Can I ask you how you feel about something?"

"Sure."

"Esme and I thought that a nice present for Bella would be a roundtrip to visit your mother. She would be able to take someone too. I doubt you'd want to go, but I thought maybe she'd take a friend."

I pursed my lips. I wasn't exactly happy, but Bella would be, which was the idea.

"I'm sure she'd love it," I said, a little stiffly. "Maybe she'd take Alice, although she'd probably prefer to take Edward."

"Sun," he reminded me.

"Then Jessica. Point is, she'd love to see Mum again. It's a good gift."

"Thank you."

* * *

I walked into the carpark, Carlisle having dropped me off outside to avoid suspicion from people like Jessica whose mind would go crazy with theories, and met up with Rosalie.

"How'd Bella take having a birthday?" she asked, rolling her eyes. Rosalie was the one person I could count on understanding why I disliked my sister.

"Like she was dying a slow and painful death," I joked. "It was slow and painful for me to watch."

"I bet. I can't believe how horrible she's being about getting older - I'd give anything for a grey hair." Her words sounded light hearted, but I knew they were anything but. "Oh, Emmett!"

Emmett jogged towards us, stopping right in front of Rosalie so he could spin her and then plant a kiss on her lips. They were a gorgeous couple, a term I rarely used. They just seemed to fit together, like two halves of a jigsaw puzzle, or something.

"Hey Shortcake," he said, turning to me and waving despite being half a metre from me. I waved back. "Where's your sister?"

"At home, I think."

"Or not," he said, turning his head so he was looking at the entrnce to the parking lot. "I'm no Alice, but I'm pretty sure she'll get here in five, four-"

Bella's Chevy truck appeared in our line of vision, and Emmett pouted.

"It's okay babe, maybe next time," Rosalie said, patting him on the head. Bella pulled into an empty parking space and I watched as Alice (who had been waiting with Jasper on a bench) ran much too fast for a human towards her.

"Alice," Rosalie warned, her voice low. Apparently Alice heard because she very visibly slowed down to a speed walk.

"Should we go over?" Emmett asked. Rosalie shook her head.

"I don't want to deal with any of _that_," she said, gesturing at the scene that was playing before us. Alice kept trying to push a little present into Bella's hands, and Bella kept trying to shove Alice off.

"What'd you get her?" Emmett asked, turning back to me.

"I didn't. She doesn't want presents, so I didn't get her any." I narrowed my eyes at him. "What did _you_ get her?"

"Nothing."

I stared hard at Emmett, and he caved easily. "It's a new speaker system for her car. She needs a new update, and besides, it was Rosalie's idea!"

Rosalie sighed. "It's true. But really, we should be blaming Esme - she's the one that convinced us we had to get her something."

"I think it's a good idea."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If you set it up for her during the party, then she won't be able to complain because it's already done."

"True," Rosalie said. "Emmett can help me set it up this afternoon."

Emmett spluttered. "How did I get dragged into helping?"

Roslaie and I just laughed.

* * *

"They're pulling up now," Alice said, passing a pink, floral vase to me. "Put that behind you, will you?"

Alice had decorated the place for a pink loving queen, the design entirely elegant, yet with a playful tone.

Alice, Jasper and I had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

Fairy lights were strung around the place, and for the occasion a fake fireplace was lit up. It was almost annoying, although when the one thing that could harm you was fire, it made sense for the vampires to go with fake fire rather than real. Still, it was almost insulting.

Even I could hear Bella's heavy feet now, and I waited for her to open the door to the living room before joining the chorus of 'Happy Birthdays'.

She wore jeans and a brown shirt, which was annoying because I had actually dressed up a little for this, and she hadn't even tried. I wasn't even wearing black tonight - instead it was a dark green, strapless dress.

Bella blushed brightly, and Edward wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Esme and William were the first to reach Bella due to them being closest to the door, and Esme hugged Bella carefully, and then William put his arm around her shoulders. It was odd how quickly Bella had gotten over his part in her injuries.

"Sorry about this, Bella," Carlilse stage-whispered from beside me. "We couldn't rein Alice in, although we certainly tried."

Rosalie and Emmett stood by the fake fire. Rosalie didn't smile at Bella, but she didn't glare wither. Emmett's face however, was stretched into a huge grin.

"You haven't changed at all," Emmett said with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."

"Thanks a lot, Emmett," Bella said, blushing deeper. I laughed with Emmett, before he winked conspicuously at me. I imagined he was going to go set up Bella's truck.

"I have to step out for a second"—he paused to kiss Rosalie's cheek—"Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."

"I'll try."

Alice let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled too, but kept his distance from Bella. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs. I knew Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens's diet than the rest of them; the scent of human blood was much harder for him to resist than the others—he hadn't been trying as long, apparently.

"Time to open presents," Alice declared. She half dragged Bella by the elbow to the table with the cake and the shiny packages. Bella sighed and visibly pouted. God, what was her issue?

"Alice, I told you I didn't want anything—"

"But I didn't listen," Alice interrupted. It was easy to hear the smugness in her voice. "Open it."

Alice took the camera from Bella's hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box. Tentatively, Bella tore at the corners, before finally running a nail down the sides and slitting it open.

It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. Bella shook it slightly, before opening the box up in confusion.

"Um… thanks," she said, awkwardly holding the box in her hands. Rosalie cracked a smile. Jasper laughed.

"It's a stereo for your truck," he explained. "Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it. Morgana's idea."

"No it-"

"Yes, it was," Rosalie said, giving me a hard look that almost made me laugh. What she really meant was '_If Bella gets pissy with me, I'm not going down alone.'_ Or you know, something along those lines. Honestly, I couldn't blame her.

"Thanks, Morgana, Rosalie," she said, grinning for once about her presents. "Thanks, Emmett!" she called more loudly. I heard his booming laugh from the garage truck, and laughed with the Cullen Clan.

"Open mine and Edward's next," Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She bounced on her heels hard enough I swore I heard a crack from the floor. She held a small, flat square in her hand. Bella turned to give Edward a basilisk glare.

"You promised," she cried. Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look at the scene in front of us. Me? I was good with missing her dramatics.

"I didn't spend a dime," Edward placated. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, and Bella sighed deeply, nestling her head into his chest.

"Give it to me," she grumbled. Emmett chuckled with delight, and Rosalie elbowed him. Bella took the little package, rolling her eyes at us. Beside me, Carlisle wrapped his arm around me as if sensing my annoyance. ]

"Shoot," Bella muttered, holding her finger up in the air before sucking it. "Paper cut."

"Shit, Bella," I swore, as Edward loudly shouted something unknown. He threw himself at her, flinging her back across the table. It fell, as she did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. Bella landed in the mess of shattered crystal. If she wasn't bleeding before, she certainly was now. "Bella!"

Carlisle tried to hold me back from running to her, but I let my skin sizzle and he jerked his hands back quickly. Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face.

"Hey! Cut it out!" I screamed, crouching next to Bella, who was bleeding heavily from her arms and back. Neither of them listened to me, and I instinctively sent a whip of flames at the two raging vampires. It didn't work. Apparently angry vampires _don't _like being close to fire. Go figure.

Both Jasper and Edward stopped in their tracks, before charging at me. I barely had time to react before I was throwing my hands up and sending scorching fire at their chests all while being shoved into a wall.

I met Jasper's black eyes as he pushed me into the drywall, and then had to snap my head to the side as he tried to go for my neck. Even with James, I don't think I had been as worried about death as I had been then. There was something utterly frightening about the way Jasper had no control, and yet knew exactly what he was doing.

And then there was another terrible crash, and I watched as Carlisle slammed Jasper through a window. Carlisle looked like he was ready to continue chasing after Jasper, but Emmett stopped him, holding an arm out to block Carlisle, before Emmett himself jumped down the two stories and wrestled Jasper to the ground.

"Okay, that's, um, that was something," I said, a little breathless.

"Yeah." Carlisle's eyes flicked from my hands to my neck to my face, but on repeat. "Definitely something."

I looked at the room, noting the scorch marks that marred the carpet, and the ashes from what appeared to have been a bouquet. "So."

"So."

"Bella?"

"Bella."

We moved in sync, making our way over to Bella and keeping her calm as she freaked out over having a couple vampires fight it out over her blood. I was fairly sure she wasn't this worried about James, but then again, she actually knew Jasper.

As I helped pick out shards of glass from her hand, I was overcome with a nagging feeling that this would only be the first of many things to go wrong.

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******Guest - I probably won't write different POV's in this story, but maybe I'll set up a separate Fic that replays scenes from other's POVs... Let me know if this is something you'd like to see. **

**DxGRAYxMAN - She's definitely gonna give him hell. (I think - that's where it's going, anyway.)**

**GomezAddams1 - I agree, it was really bad of Edward to just up and move his entire family**

**Ghostwriter71 - Real life can suck sometimes. I'm really glad you like this fic - I do my best to make it as original as I can. **

**TemporaryShadow - Thanks for the support, and don't worry, give it a bit (like a book) and they'll be together. You'll get your happy ending.**

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**34magoberry43 - I'm really happy to be the first fic you've commented on, it definitely boosts my writing ego. And yeah, I'm trying for a completely new angle in New Moon. You just might have to wait a little bit to see it, as it won't happen for a couple chapters.**

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**eeeeaud - Thank you. I have the absolute worst writing schedule, but I always aim for at least a chapter a month (which is pretty bad, but still)**

**Ventari SylverFox - The muse is good, I have about a million ideas running around in my head, but sometimes real life gets in the way... Still, I'm gonna try my absolute best to get all the stories down (or at least the ones that make sense. Voldemort being bffs with Santa is a little odd for me, and yet my brain still begs me to write it, for zero reason.)**


	18. Honey, I'm Impressed

**Today's Quote: You can't always control who walks into your life... But you can control which window you throw them out of!**

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"How are you doing, Bella?" Carlisle asked. I plucked another shard of glass from her wrist, dropping it into a small metal bowl.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice shaky.

"Really?" I asked, an eyebrow raised at her. She nodded slightly.

"Leave her alone," Edward said. I had almost forgotten he was there, what with the way he had been standing like an overprotective, non-breathing statue behind Bella. "She's been through a lot."

"Exactly, hence why it's so surprising that she's apparently fine," I retorted. Edward glowered at me, and I returned his glare with one that would've sent humans crying.

"Just go, Edward," Bella sighed. He dropped his glare and instantly began holding Bella's hands and kissing her cheek.

"I can handle it," he insisted. He wore the mask well, but even I realised that he was struggling with the blood. _Stop trying to be a hero,_ I thought at him, the same time Bella said:

"You don't need to be a hero." I rolled my eyes at the coincidence. "Carlisle can fix me up without your help," she continued. "Get some fresh air."

"I'll stay," he said. I pulled out a glass piece a little to roughly and Bella winced.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Why are you so masochistic?" she mumbled to her boyfriend. Carlisle decided to intercede.

"Edward, you may as well go find Emmett and Jasper - I can still hear them fighting. I'm sure Jasper's upset with himself, and I doubt he'll listen to anyone but you right now."

"Yes," Bella eagerly agreed. "Go find Jasper."

"You might as well do _something_ useful," I added. Edward's eyes narrowed as we ganged up on him, but, finally, he nodded once and sprinted smoothly through the kitchen's back door.

It was kinda theaurapedic just pulling out glass, however disgusting. You just pulled it out, dropped it in a dish and dabbed the bleeding gash with a towel. Easy.

"Well, that's everyone," Bella sighed. "I can clear a room, at least." I hid a small smile - that was actually kinda funny.

"It's not your fault," Carlisle said, taking one of Bella's hands comfortingly. My stomach twisted in quiet jealousy, and I almost dropped the tweezers in shock. "It could happen to anyone."

"Could," Bella repeated. "But it usually just happens to me."

"Hey, you're the one dating a vampire," I said, wiping my blood stained hand on my dress. Once (like 20 minutes ago) it had been a gorgeous green, but now smears of crimson blood covered the patterns.

Carlilse laughed again, before we settled into another silence. His relaxed calm was only more amazing set in direct contrast with everyone else's reaction. I couldn't find any trace of anxiety in his face. He worked with quick, sure movements. The only sound besides our quiet breathing was the soft plink, plink as the tiny fragments of glass dropped one by one to the table.

"How can you do this?" Bella demanded. "Even Alice and Esme…" she trailed off, shaking her head in wonder.

"Years and years of practice," he told her. "I barely notice the scent anymore."

"Do you think it would be harder if you took a vacation from the hospital for a long time. And weren't around any blood?"

"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders, but his hands remained steady. "I've never felt the need for an extended holiday."

"You should try it sometime - think of it as a science experiment," I said, joining in. "Besides, a holiday would do you good. You mustn't have had one in like, six, seven hundred years?" I joked.

"300, thank you very much," he said with a mock offended voice. He flashed a brilliant smile at me. "Besides, if I went on holiday I wouldn't see you."

I clicked my tongue. "Very true," I said.

"You two are adorable," Bella sighed. My eyes widened - did she hit her head in that fight? Maybe blood loss was affecting her?

"Thanks," I said awkwardly. She did know Carlisle and I weren't a thing, right?

"Yes, thank you." Carlisle seemed to echo my thoughts, although I knew if I asked him out there was no way he'd refuse. "Hand me my bag, please?"

I grabbed a black medical bag and passed it over to Carlisle. He took out a small needle and white thread, threading the sting through the key easily.

"I'm going to do a butterfly stitch," he said to me. I peered over his shoulder as he pushed the needle slightly into Bella's skin and began threading.

"Looks easy," I said.

"Wanna try?"

"No, thank you very much Morgana. No stitching until you've actually had some practice," Bella said, killing the mood. I pouted, but continued to watch the needle thread in.

"Is this something you're interested in, Morgana?" Carlisle asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

I had literally no idea what I wanted to do when I was older, which was kinda scary because I was graduating in less than a year. Well, unless I got held back, but that was unlikely seeing as how the grades I was receiving on my assignments (all done the night before their due date) were pretty damn good.

"Maybe," I said. I _could_ be a doctor, but who's to say I wouldn't find that incredibly boring. At the rate my mind switched between professions, I'd be lucky to find my dream job when I was 60, let alone 16.

"There," he said, snipping the thread. "All done."

He wiped an oversized Q-tip, dripping with some syrup-colored liquid, thoroughly across the operation site. The smell was strange; it made my head spin.

"What is it that you enjoy?" Bella wondered. I had to agree - it didn't make sense to me—the years of struggle and self-denial he must have spent to get to the point where he could endure this so easily.

"Hmm. What I enjoy the most is when my… enhanced abilities let me save someone who would otherwise have been lost. It's pleasant knowing that, thanks to what I can do, some people's lives are better because I exist. Even the sense of smell is a useful diagnostic tool at times." One side of his mouth pulled up in half a smile.

"In the beginning, though," Bella pressed. I taped another long piece of gauze securely in place, copying what Carlisle had done first. "Why did you even think to try a different way than the obvious one?"

His lips turned up in a private smile. "Hasn't Edward told you this story?"

I looked at him and smiled. "I haven't heard it yet," I said.

"You know my father was a clergyman," he mused as he cleaned the table carefully, rubbing everything down with wet gauze, and then doing it again. The smell of alcohol burned in my nose.

"He had a rather harsh view of the world, which I was already beginning to question before the time that I changed."

Carlisle put all the dirty gauze and the glass slivers into an empty crystal bowl. He held it out to me, and it took a second for me to realise what he wanted. I lit it up with my finger, and the bowl's contents began to blaze brightly.

"Thank you, that ought to do it… So I didn't agree with my father's particular brand of faith. But never, in the nearly four hundred years now since I was born, have I ever seen anything to make me doubt whether God exists in some form or the other. Not even the reflection in the mirror."

I pretended to check Bella's dressing to hide my surprise at the direction our conversation had taken. Religion was the last thing I expected, all things considered.

The only interactions with religion I had ever had was with an exorcist, when I was eleven, which didn't exactly give me a great view on Religion.

"I'm sure all this sounds a little bizarre, coming from a vampire But I'm hoping that there is still a point to this life, even for us. It's a long shot, I'll admit," he continued in an offhand voice. "By all accounts, we're damned regardless. But I hope, maybe foolishly, that we'll get some measure of credit for trying."

"I don't think that's foolish," I said boldly. "It's an impressive view, if anything." I couldn't imagine anyone, deity included, who wouldn't be impressed by Carlisle. Gods knew I was. "And I don't think anyone else would, either."

Carlilse smiled sweetly at me. "Actually, you're the very first one to agree with me."

"The rest of them don't feel the same?" Bella asked, surprised, clearly thinking of only one person in particular.

"Edward's with me up to a point. God and heaven exist… and so does hell. But he doesn't believe there is an afterlife for our kind." Carlisle's voice was very soft; he stared out the big window over the sink, into the darkness. "You see, he thinks we've lost our souls."

"That's the real problem, isn't it?" Bella guessed. "That's why he's being so difficult about me."

Carlisle spoke slowly. "I look at my… son. His strength, his goodness, the brightness that shines out of him—and it only fuels that hope, that faith, more than ever. How could there not be more for one such as Edward? But if I believed as he does… If you believed as he did. Could you take away his soul?"

Woah, _okay. _This wasn't at all how I had expected my evening to go. Hang out with Rosalie, watch Bella open presents, yeah, easy. Watch Bella get attacked, get attacked myself, and then listen to what was basically a philosophical debate? No thanks.

"Morgana," Rosalie called loudly from outside. "Stop being boring and come join me!"

Carlilse laughed beside me. "Always impatient, she is."

He nudged me forward. "I'll be back soon," I said.

I went outside, ignoring the doors in lieu of the giant hole in the wall that I stepped through, my small size making it easy to fit through a Jasper sized hole.

"Hello," Rosalie said amusedly, her laugh tinkling like bells. She didn't move from her position in a tree, but instead held her hand down and pulled me up. I then sat on the branch next to the vampire, swinging my legs. "That's an interesting way to exit the house."

I shrugged. "If it works, it works."

She completely ignored me, half screaming in horror. "Look at your dress!"

I looked down. As expected, it was covered in Bella's drying blood. "It's not so bad," I said. "The green actually works with it."

"Does it?" Rosalie said, raising an eyebrow. "Does it really?"

"Yes," I said, looking her in the eyes. We stared at each other like that for a moment, before we burst into laughter. "God this has been a weird night," I sighed.

"Tell me about it."

"Where's everyone else?" I asked. Looking around, I could see that besides Carlisle still talking to Bella (shut it jealousy!), and Rosalie sitting beside me, everyone was gone.

"The boys are in the field, and Esme's with Alice. They're over there."

She pointed in the direction of the small forest, and I nodded. With my human eyes, there was no way I'd see them, though apparently Rosalie did.

"Edward pouting?"

"God, _so_ much!" she said. "He practically stormed out of the house, ranting about how Isabella was going to die under his care."

"He does know Bella has caused more risky scenarios for herself than Edward ever has, right?"

"I don't think so."

Rosalie critically looked over my dress again. "Come on, she said. She basically pushed me off the tree branch, and I had to think fast so that I landed safely. "You can borrow some of my clothes."

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**Please review**

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**A/N...**** So it's been a while... Oops. Sorry about that. It's kinda a short chapter, but I figured it's been so long that it doesn't really matter how long of a read it is.**

**To everyone who's been reviewing words of encouragement, I really, _really_ appreciate it. Thank you so much to all my followers, and those who gave this fanfic a 'favourite'. **


	19. Honey, I Don't Want You To Go

**Today's Quote: etc - End of Thinking Capacity**

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"Holy shit!" I screamed, thrusting my hands at Carlisle's chest when he appeared in front of me. I retracted them the second I realised who it was, but it seemed his blue shirt would now forever have hand print shaped burn marks. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. He looked worried, and I doubted it was just because he was worried about me. "May I sit?"

"Sure, sure," I muttered as Carlisle sat on my bed. "Scare me half to death and then politely ask to sit down. Why not?"

"Because it's important?" he offered. He gestured for me to sit down next to me and I did, sitting cross legged so I was facing him.

"Important enough to risk giving me an early death?" I asked sarcastically. "Kidding. What's up?"

"I don't know how to say this-"

"English works, generally."

Carlisle rolled his eyes fondly and gave a small chuckle, before returning to a serious face. "We're leaving Forks."

"Like on a holiday?"

Carlisle looked sadly at me. "Longer than that, sweetheart."

"A very long vacation?"

"More like, we'll be gone for the next 50 years."

"_What?"_

"Edward doesn't want to risk Bella's life, and I am inclined to agree. I wouldn't want my mate in danger because of me, either."

I stared blankly at Carlisle. "Okay, so Edward can leave. Why are you guys going?"

"Because we're a family, and we have to stick together."

"Oh," I said quietly. It didn't make sense, though. For one, Bella would be just as much a danger to herself alone as she was with Edward. And that meant Carlisle had to leave, and Rosalie, and Emmett, and Esme. "So that's it, then? You're just going to leave me?"

"It's not like that," he said. He tried to tuck a strand of hair of hair behind my ear and I batted away his hand.

"Sure it's not," I said sarcastically." You're going to leave, but it's not like you're leaving me."

"Morgana-"

"What, Carlisle?" I asked harshly. I regretted snapping though when his face twisted with pain.

"It's not like I _want_ to leave you. It'll be safer for you, though."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was about Bella's safety, not mine."

"It is!" he cried out. "But it's also about yours, and I can't risk losing you."

"Carlisle, look at your shirt," I said. He looked down, and I fingered with the burnt cotton. "I can protect myself, I don't need you worrying about me."

"You shouldn't need to protect yourself."

"And yet here I am, with some messed up fire power that's caused a shit-ton of pain," I said. "If anything, I can believe that I have that power so that I can help protect _you._"

It was something I had never considered until the words spilled out of my mouth, but it was true. I wasn't going to get bitten, so there had to be some way for human-me to keep him safe. I wanted - _needed _\- to be able to protect Carlisle.

"I don't exactly need protecting, Morgana. I _am_ a vampire, after all."

I groaned loudly, and flopped down so I was laying on my back. "Do you hear us?" I asked rhetorically. "Neither of us need protection, and yet both of us want to protect the other!"

"I know," he said softly. "That's what having a mate is like, or so I've heard."

I closed my eyes. "I don't want you to leave," I admitted.

"I don't want to leave. But I need to stay with Edward, and he needs to leave Forks."

"Doesn't he realise he's gonna break Bella's heart by leaving?"

Carlisle sighed. "He's convinced himself that no matter how upset Bella is, she will get over it, and that his leave will be better for her in the long run."

"Well that's dumb."

"I'm inclined to agree." Carlisle smiled sadly at me. "But my son is strong willed, and persuasive. He has already chosen a new house for us, and has begun packing up everything we will take with us. He's enrolled everyone in school."

"You could still stay behind, with me," I said selfishly.

"I wish I could, sweetheart."

I sat up, and rested my head on his shoulder. "I don't want you to go," I said again. Was I being kinda pathetic? Definitely. Did my voice sound whiny? 100%. But did I care? Hell no! Why did Carlisle have to leave?

What happened to the man who so desperately wanted me to just go on a date with him, but seemed to love me so much he just accepted the fact that I rejected him and backed off?

"I wish you could come with me."

"I can't," I mumbled into his neck. "I need to protect Bella seeing as how Edward's just abandoning her."

Carlisle flinched. "It's not abandonment, Sweetheart. And _you_ don't need me, you've proved that a thousand times."

"Not true," I denied. Maybe I didn't need him to protect me, but I needed him to be close. "Who's going to drive me to school?" I demanded, instead of voicing that thought.

"Bella can."

I rolled my eyes. "Gods help me then. What about if I get injured? Or Bella does. Or anyone in Forks - is the best surgeon really going to leave them to die?"

Carlisle pulled me into his lap and looked me in the eye. "I promise you, Morgana, that if anything goes wrong Alice will see it and I'll be right back."

"It'd be a million times easier if you were there when I got injured," I sang.

"Morgana, please don't make this harder for me."

"For you?" I asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that it was _you_ whose mate was leaving abruptly forever. How ever will you forgive my lack of sympathy?" I said sarcastically.

"Sweet-"

I huffed. "I get it. Edward has some messed up thoughts about how to keep Bella safe, and you need to go with your son to make sure he doesn't accept the cookies and turn over to the dark side. Or human blood, I guess, instead of cookies."

Carlisle smiled sadly. "Exactly," he said. "I'm torn between the two I love most, and as much as it pains me I must choose Edward, for his safety and the safety of those around him."

"I don't like it," I said. Had I been standing I might have stomped my foot like a child. "Can you, we, I mean, still call?" I asked, hope building up inside. If we could talk, then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.

"Edward wouldn't-"

"Edward wouldn't know," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. "Besides, maybe you feel obligated to follow him around like a lost puppy, but that doesn't mean he gets to control who you're talking to."

Carlisle was silent, then, "Alright. I suppose I'd miss you terribly if I didn't." I raised an eyebrow, and he hurried to keep talking. "Of course, I'd miss you all the same, but I'd miss you even more."

"Nice save," I said.

He chuckled, and began stroking my hair. "I'll most likely have to change my number, but I have yours, and Alice will see if you change it, so we can keep in contact."

"Okay. When do you leave?" I asked, switching the topic before he could rethink his agreement.

"Tonight."

"So soon?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. Edward is taking Bella for a walk-" he cocked his head and listened "-Edward is now explaining to Bella in the forest, and when he gets back we'll leave."

"Oh," I said, my voice quiet.

"Oh," he agreed, never ceasing stroking my hair.

"What will you tell people?" I asked.

Carlisle sighed. "Most will assume I got a better job. It's better to let them make their own guesses, rather than tell them."

I nodded. "Will you tell the others goodbye from me?"

"Of course, Morgana."

After that, words weren't necessary. All I wanted was to enjoy the last few moments I had with him in person.

It wasn't until a few minutes after we moved, Carlisle shifting us around so, for the final time it seemed, I was facing him.

"Edwards back," he said. "I have to go, he'll be getting impatient."

I nodded, and put a tiny smile on my face. "I'll call you. Or you'll call me."

"Of course," he assured me. As if acting purely on impulse, I kissed him softly. Sparks flew, and a warm feeling bubbled in my stomach as he kissed me back, just as sweetly.

Our kiss ended far too soon though, because even with my human ears I could hear Edward grumbling downstairs.

"I love you," Carlisle said, and before I could respond he was gone in a flash.

I fell against the bed, pressing my fingers to my lips. I had kissed Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle Cullen had kissed me back. And now he was gone, probably for years, and I'd never get the chance to do it again. All I could do was wait for him to call me.

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I pushed the burnt spaghetti around in my bowl, the metal of my fork screeching every time it hit the glass.

"And you're sure Bella didn't tell you where she was going?" Dad asked me for the millionth time, raking his hands through his graying hair with worry.

"No," I repeated. "I knew she went for a walk with Edward after school, but after that I don't know. Also," I said, spitting out a piece of uncooked spaghetti, (seriously, how was some of it burnt and some of it cold?), "you suck at cooking."

"Not the time, Morgana," he said, glaring at me. His features softened. "Sorry, I'm just worried."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm sure she's fine. It's what, 7:30? She's probably just at Jessica's bawling her eyes out because Edward left town."

"Cullen?"

"Do we know any other Edwards?"

"They skipped town?"

"I wouldn't say skipped," I said, remembering the lie. "It was more like Dr Cullen or Esme got a really good job somewhere else that they couldn't refuse."

Dad sighed. "I always knew they'd have to leave eventually, but damn. Dr Cullen was the best surgeon we've ever had, and a really good guy."

I hummed in agreement. Dad would never know just how good a person (vampire) Carlisle really was.

Dad began tapping his fingers against the wood of the table. "I'm calling a search party."

"Like, right now?" I asked, dropping my fork in surprise.

"Yes."

"And what if Bella's at Jessica's? Or Angela's?"

"Okay, fine, I'm calling everyone, you're helping, and then we're calling a search party."

"Seriously?" I groaned. "Fine. But when it turns out she was moping around at her friends, I expect flowers or something."

It turned out she wasn't at her friends. Seventeen calls from me to students, and nineteen from Dad to parents, and no one knew where she was.

It was official - Bella was missing.

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**Kinda important A/N. Kinda.**

**So, I finally realised I'm a little aromantic and very asexual (like, vomiting from sex, asexual). While that probably means nothing to you all (it's not like you know who I am), I think that's the real reason why I've really been holding off on Morgana and Carlilse getting together. It kinda weirds me out, because I don't really feel the same way my characters do. I love exploring their friendship side of the relationship, and I'm far better at that then their romantic side. **

**But don't worry - they'll still get together, I just won't be writing sex scenes or anything.**

**Anyway, it's not exactly relevant to the fic, but it's something I needed to say. No one really knows, which makes hanging out with my sex-crazy friends hard. Oh well - they may have giant sex drives, but I love them and hanging out with them all the same. **

**Anyways, thanks for reading.**

* * *

eeeeaud - I'm glad you've missed it. Well, sad it took me so long to get back in the flow, but happy it was missed.

Marie Yoshina - You can't help but love him for it (but not really). It's fun to write, though.

Guest (Guest) - Well, about that... It may take a while. But they kissed, so yay! And then Carlisle left, and Morgana is gonna have to go through a lotta feels. But maybe soon. Like in 10 chapters or so...

AnimeFreak71777 - Right back at ya. Thanks for reading.

Annabeth (Guest) - Do you mean oh dear? Or is Odeia a Bella in another language?

Ghostwriter71 - Your continued support always amazes me, and I'm always so grateful for it. For the weird review thing, I had that 'Giving up H.I.B.' chapter, which meant the next actual chapter was number 18. Then I deleted that adoption chapter, so you reviewed on chapter 18 which then got pushed back to 17. I think. Maybe. Or it might just be a tech problem - I'm not 100% sure.

diamondeyes323 - Aww, thanks. Me too. I have a couple cool ideas, but they all contradict each other so everything I write is kinda a surpirse to me too!


	20. Honey, Where Are You?

**Today's Quote: What's my favourite childhood memory? Not having to pay the bills.**

* * *

I half waded through the thick mud - when this was over, Bella so owed me a new pair of sneakers.

The rain poured down thickly, the large droplets hitting my head harshly before rolling down, pretty much rendering my sight useless. I had given up calling out Isabella's name - with the way the wind roared unless I was right next to her there was no way she'd hear me.

I stumbled over tree roots, landing in a pile of mud. "Gross," I muttered. I pushed myself up off the ground, almost falling again when my feet slid on the slippery mud.

A small whimper caught my attention, coming from behind a bush.

"Bella?" I asked, edging close to it. Just in case, I slipped off my gloves and shoved them into my jacket pocket.

There was another whimper, and I walked around the bushes and crouched down next to the crying girl. Bella looked a mess. She was covered in dirt and leaves and twigs, and her light makeup had run with her tears and the rain. She rocked slowly, curled up in fetal position either to beat the cold or to feel safe.

"Oh, Bella," I said. She looked at me slowly, her eyes wide with fright.

"He left me," she sobbed. "Ed- he left me all alone."

"I know," I said. I awkwardly patted her shoulder. "But it'll be okay."

"No it won't!" she said. "He's gone forever and ever and ever and ever and-"

"-and ever. I heard," I said dryly. "C'mon, we need to get you home."

"No," she moaned. "I don't wanna go. Just leave me here to die - what's the point of living ?"

Okay, yeah, Edward was her first love. Carlisle was mine. Maybe. I wasn't sure if I loved him or not, but yeah, my heart ached because he was gone. That didn't mean I wanted to hide in the woods to die.

"And mum calls me the insane one," I said under my breath. "The point, Isabella," I said, raising my voice, "is that Dad cares, and I care, and you will kill yourself if you stay out here in the cold."

"That's the idea! I can't live without Ed - him!"

"Oh my gods," I groaned. I rolled my eyes- was she serious? Bella shivered violently, and let out a hacking cough. "All right, here we go."

I snuck my arms under her armpits and dragged her up to her feet. She writhed and wriggled but I held her firmly, keeping her close to my side.

"Isabella," I said, feeling more like the older sister than the younger, "behave."

Spoiler alert - she didn't.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

"Okay," I huffed. "Let's do this the hard way."

I slid my hands under her shirt and pressed them against her waist, letting them burn hot enough to make her shriek. "Want me to make them hotter?" I asked.

"No no no!" she whined.

I cooled my hands. "Are you going to listen to me now?"

"Yes," she said. She gave a small sniffle, before burying her head into my jacket and blowing her nose on it. "It's just that he's gone," she moaned.

"Are you serious?" I snapped. "I'm gonna let that go because you're sad and probably sick, but really, Isabella?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, pressing her face against my arm. "I'm tired."

"I bet." I took out my phone and clicked on Dad's contact, calling him. Unsurprisingly, he picked up not half a second later.

"Morgana? Oh God, tell me you found her!" he asked, an edge of desperation to her voice.

"Yeah, she's here. Isabella, say `hi'."

She started sobbing again, putting all her weight on me so that I nearly collapsed.

"Is she okay? Is she hurt?"

"I don't think so. She's pretty upset, and cold, but she seems fine. We'll be back at the house soon."

I hung up on Dad. "Okay, Isabella, let's walk."

"No. I just wanna stay here and -"

I never did hear what she wanted to do, due to the fact that she began crying all over again.

"Oh Gods," I groaned. "Not again."

I started dragging her, my arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from escaping off into the forest to go try and kill herself again.

Due to the fact I was basically carrying Bella, it took some time before we got back to the house where we were instantly surrounded by many anxious faces.

"She's fine. Thanks for searching," I said repeatedly, pushing through them. "Hey Dad."

Dad took Bella from me, carrying her over to the couch where Dr. Gerandy, one of Forks human doctors, now the only doctors, was waiting. So much for Carlisle coming back the second anything went wrong.

"Look what the cat dragged in!" Leah laughed, punching my arm affectionately. Odd, I didn't even know she was here. I supposed it made sense though - most of the Quileute boys were here, and I very much doubted Leah would allow herself to be left behind. "What happened? You go swimming in the mud or something?"

"Haha," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. It had been a while since I had seen my badass friend, and I had missed her. Before Leah could react, I hugged her tightly, the mud sticking to Leah's green shirt. "My bad," I said, grinning.

"Rude," Leah said. "Got food?"

I dragged her inside and pushed my uneaten bowl of spaghetti at her. She pushed it right back, grimacing. "I really hope you didn't cook that."

"Me?" I scoffed. "No way. That burnt mess was all Dad."

"Disgusting." She ate it anyway though, scoffing it down like it might be her last meal.

"Don't they feed you?" I asked, laughing as I watched her wipe at sauce on her chin. I slipped my jacket off, laying it over a chair. I'd have to wash it now, which sucked ass.

Leah shrugged. "I'm just constantly starving, it seems. Oh shit!"

"What-"

"Shh!" Leah jumped out of her seat and hid behind the kitchen counter. "Just go with it!"

"Okay," I said slowly. "I can see your hair, by the way."

I assumed she crouched down lower, seeing as she quickly disappeared from sight.

"Hi," an extremely fit and shirtless man said. He held out a hand to me. "Sam Uley."

"Morgana Swan," I said, shaking his hand.

"I figured," he said. He tapped his brown eyes. "Not many girls have one pink eye, one purple."

"At least I'm now known for my contacts instead of hair dye," I joked. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to say I'm glad you - oh, babe, come meet Morgana."

A woman that could've been a supermodel had she not had three ugly scars running down her face appeared. She kissed Sam on the cheek, and smiled prettily at me. "Hi," she said. "I'm Emily Young, Sam's fiance. We were so relieved to hear you found Bella."

"Exactly," Sam said.

"Thank you for helping search," I said.

"Of course. You have a beautiful home," Emily said. She looked as though she was set to walk into the kitchen to look at some photos, but I stepped into the space between the counter and the wall before she could.

"Thank you," I said tightly. I wasn't sure why Leah didn't want them to know she was there, but I sure as hell wasn't going to give her away.

Sam and Emily shared a look, before Emily whispered something in Sam's ear. "Right," he said. "We should probably get going," he said to me.

"Sure," I said easily. I walked them out, sighing when the door shut behind them. "Wanna tell me what that was about?" I asked Leah, who was shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"I used to date Sam," she began, sitting back down. I put the pot of spaghetti and sauce down on the table, and she took another serving of the horrendous meal. "Then he met Emily, my cousin, and the next week they were engaged."

"Seriously?" I asked, shocked. "What a dick!"

Damn, and I thought I had it bad. At least Carlisle left me for my safety, no matter how useless and annoying it was.

"RIght? And he didn't tell me anything, just that he wanted to be with Emily." She scowled at the bowl. If looks could hurt, that bowl would shatter into pieces.

I sighed. "I don't even know what to say to that. That's horrible, Leah."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's over now. I'm over it."

She very clearly wasn't, but I didn't say anything. I quickly changed the topic. "Did you hear about those wolves roaming around? Apparently they're these massive animals," I said dramatically. "Bigger than elephants, even."

Leah snorted. Mission Subject Change - Complete. "Who's been telling you that?"

"The hikers keep seeing them and then reporting them to the police, Dad's been complaining about them all week."

"Oh God, some people are completely whack."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

I flicked through the TV channels, trying to find something somewhat interesting.

"You should go to sleep," Dad said to me. "It's late."

"Technically it's early," I said, checking my watch. "It's like 3 am. Besides, it's the weekend."

Dad rolled his eyes, a habit I swore he had learnt from me. "Just don't complain when you're tired all day and I say I told you so."

"Of course not."

I watched as Dad got up to put Bella's heat packs in the microwave. "I can't believe Cullen just left her in the woods like that," Dad said, shaking his head.

"Neither can I."

I had to admit, it was highly out of character for him.

"And the Cullens, just up and leaving without notice? It's weird."

"I suppose so," I said, struggling to keep my voice even.

"Who're you going to hang out with now?" Dad asked. The microwave beeped and he took the packs out, laying them around Bella's body, under her blankets. Dad wanted to keep her on the couch so that he could make sure she wasn't getting sicker. Dr. Gerandy had warned us to watch out for any signs of hypothermia.

"What do you mean?"

"You sit with Rosalie and Emmett at school, right?" At my nod he continued. "Who will you sit with now?"

I shrugged. "I'll probably just sit by myself."

"Morgana…"

"It'll be fine," I said, my voice confident. And I would be, only I did wonder how I'd be able to get through everything.

Mum was still pushing for me to go back to an asylum, claiming that I had pushed Bella down the stairs and set fire to the ballet studio. Emmett had helped me work through that, letting me rant or take out my anger on trees.

And I'd miss Rosalie, who was practically my sister at this point. Who was I going to complain to when Bella was being a nuisance, or when I had literally no idea what to wear, or do with my hair?

And I'd be lost without Esme, the woman who I constantly compared to an angel on earth. Vampire she may be, but she has made a positive impact in my life.

And Carlisle, well, my heart might need a little time to heal itself. I may not have invested myself in our relationship as much as Bella did with her and Edward's, but that didn't mean I didn't hurt.

"Hey, Billy, it's Charlie—sorry I'm calling so early… no, she's fine. She's sleeping… Thanks, but that's not why I called. I just got a call from Mrs. Stanley, and she says that from her second-story window she can see fires out on the sea cliffs, but I didn't really… Oh!"

Suddenly there was an edge in his voice—irritation… or anger. Whether it was my need to know why Dad was angry, or my interest n the fires, or just me being bored I wasn't sure, but I instantly started listening closer.

"And why are they doing that? Uh huh. Really?" He said it sarcastically. "Well, don't apologize to me. Yeah, yeah. Just make sure the flames don't spread… I know, I know, I'm surprised they got them lit at all in this weather." Dad hesitated, and then added grudgingly. "Thanks for sending Sam and the other boys up. You were right—they do know the forest better than we do. Yeah, I'll talk to you later," he agreed, still sour. Dad hung up, muttering something angrily under his breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Is something burning?"

"It's nothing," he assured me. "Just some bonfires out on the cliffs."

"Bonfires?" I asked, curious.

"Some of the kids from the reservation being rowdy," he explained.

"That's weird, Leah didn't mention anything about bonfires."

"She wouldn't have. They're celebrating the Cullen's leaving, and they only just found out. It's ridiculous," Charlie spluttered.

"Rude," I said.

"Dr Cullen was the best damned doctor we've ever had, and for them to celebrate him leaving is just-"

"Wrong?" I offered.

"Exactly."

Dad took the remote from me and changed the channel again, this one showing Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

"Wanna watch?"

"Better than sport," I said lightly, although my stomach twisted at the reminder. I'd be fine without the Cullens, right? I had lived without them before, I could do it again.

* * *

**Please Review!**

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**A/N - Thanks to everyone that reads, reviews, favourites or follows this fic - It means a lot**

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**Laura201112** \- Thanks, and I'll try.

**CatGal1701** \- Well, as Morgana mentions, things are going to be difficult without the Cullens. But don't worry - she'll push like as always.

**Guest (Libby) - **No worries, and I'm from Australia, hence the weird spelling, odd words and strange time for updating. And no, to any flat-earthers reading this, I am not being paid to say Australia is a real place.

**eeeeaud** \- I know - she's been pushing him off forever, and now that she stops he has to go! And yeah, Carlilse picking Edward is annoying, but it's important for the rest of the fic.

**Brookie Twiling** \- I know exactly what you mean. And honestly, all I want is for a long action packed tv show about a fierce girl to happen, with zero love interests. It can't be that hard to write, right? As for meeting the pack, well, there's a little bit of hinting (or just straight up pointing) to the wolves in this chapter. And thanks for reviewing on most chapters - it helps both boost my ego and keep me going.

**Ghostwriter71** \- Yeah. I mean, obviously Morgana is gonna hurt, but she's definitely not gonna go off and shut down over it. And your support is so great because it's constant. And yeah, maybe it shouldn't matter to me as much as it does, but here we are.

**binhacunha3** \- Thanks


	21. Honey, I Miss You

**Today's Quote: I have two problems in life. 1) memory loss, and 2) .._.dammit._**

* * *

It had been an odd couple of months.

Forks were quiet without the Cullens. Days dragged on, school feeling more and more like a personal hell, and weekends were filled with meaningless conversations.

And I was lonely.

It had taken me some time to realise it, but I was _lonely. _

Carlisle was gone, which meant no more late-night talks. Sure, we phoned, but it wasn't the same. He wasn't there. It didn't feel the same. Rosalie was gone, which meant no more gossip sessions. Emmett was gone, which meant no more silly advice and strange conversations. Esme was gone, which meant I was left without a mother figure. And Bella was… not gone. Bella was _something._

She was depressed. She had taken Edward's leave hard and hadn't even begun to recover. It was odd, not having my older sister around. As much as I had never really had her in my life, I had grown used to her bad humour and undying support no matter what I did. I missed Bella.

Sure, she was always home, but it felt like it was only physically. Mentally she was daydreaming about Edward's return or her searching for Edward. And aside from thinking her ex, she had no time for people.

Dad's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years - Bella didn't care. She barely acknowledged me on my birthday, which was possibly the weirdest thing of all, because every year she had taken the time to fly to whatever mental hospital Mum had forced me in, and celebrated my birthday with me.

And I was lonely.

* * *

I dipped my finger in the saucepan of water, sending it to it's boiling point far faster than the gas ever could. In went the eggs, and I started the timer.

"Morning, Ana," Dad said, kissing my forehead. "Careful, that water looks hot."

"Sure," I said easily, hiding a wry smile behind my hand. "How'd you sleep?"

Dad sighed. "Bella woke me up again. _Four times._"

"Damn," I said, frowning. "That's worse than last night."

Bella had taken to having nightmares every night. Maybe I was being a little mean to be blaming her for them, but they were annoying and constant. I had to begin sleeping with earplugs and stacking pillows up against the door to block her screams.

"I don't know what's wrong with her!" Dad complained. "I get it, her boyfriend left her. So what? I don't see _you_ moping around because your friends left."

I shrugged. The timer dinged, and I scooped the eggs out of the water, placing them in egg cups. "You want?"

Dad took one, mumbling thanks. We sat down at the table, joining Bella who was staring dejectedly at her cereal.

"What do you have today, girls?" Dad asked pleasantly, hiding his worry behind a smile directed at Bella.

Seeing Bella wasn't going to respond, I spoke up. I really _was _trying to make an effort with Dad. "I think I have math and then biology with Bella later in the day."

"What're you studying in math?" Dad asked. He didn't care about math, I knew, (neither did I), but we continued the conversation, hoping that Bella might give us one of her famous one-word answers.

"Algebra. Again. For the millionth time. At least it's easy."

"Cool," Charlie said awkwardly. "Bella, how are you doing with your homework? I got an email from Mr Varner, he said you weren't getting as much done as you could be."

Bella didn't answer.

"Well, what about your English. You just got given Macbeth to study, right? How's that going?"'

I stared at Bella, watching for even the tiniest bit of movement that might indicate she was listening. There was none.

Dad's fist came down on the table, and I jumped in surprise.

"That's it, Bella! I'm sending you home," Dad shouted.

"_What?" _I spluttered. "You're sending her to Mum's?"

What would that mean for me? Knowing Mum, she'd probably pin her depression on me.

'_Oh yes, my daughter is sick. I think it's because that bastard child tried to sacrifice her to Satan. Why yes, officer, I do believe we should lock her up forever. Shock treatment? What a wonderful idea.'_

Okay, maybe not. It wouldn't go _exactly_ like that. In real life she wouldn't consult anyone, she'd just send me straight off to some messed up negative 5 stars asylum.

"I am home," Bella mumbled, clearly confused.

"I'm sending you to Renee, to Jacksonville," Dad clarified. He watched with exasperation as Bella slowly grasped the meaning of his words.

"You can't be serious." I scowled at Dad.

"What did I do?" Bella asked.

"You didn't do anything. That's the problem. You never do anything."

"You want me to get into trouble?" Bella wondered.

"Trouble would be better than this… this moping around all the time!"

"I am _not_ moping around."

"Moping's the wrong word," he grudgingly conceded. "Moping would be better—that would be doing something. You're just… lifeless, Bella. I think that's the word I want."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Bella said, her voice just as flat as ever. But hey, she managed more than one word. Score for Bella, but what did it matter, because she was apparently going back to Jacksonville.

"I don't want you to apologize."

Bella sighed. "Then tell me what you do want me to do."

"Bella," he hesitated, "Honey, you're not the first person to go through this kind of thing, you know."

"I know that."

"Listen, honey. I think that—that maybe you need some help."

"Yes, because Mum is _so_ helpful when it comes to dealing with less than perfect children," I muttered. I pushed my eggs away from me - I felt slightly sick. I didn't want to go back to Mums, but she had full custody over me, so she could force me to come back with Bella.

"Help?"

He paused, searching for the words again. "When your mother left," he began, frowning, "and took you two with her." He inhaled deeply. "Well, that was a really bad time for me."

"I know, Dad," Bella mumbled.

"But I handled it," he pointed out. "Honey, you're not handling it. I waited, I hoped it would get better. I think we both know it's not getting better."

"I'm fine."

"Maybe, well, maybe if you talked to someone about it. A professional."

"You want me to see a shrink? I'm not like Morgana - I'm not crazy!"

I glared at her and crossed my arms. "Wow, _thanks_ Bella," I said sarcastically. "It's nice to hear you think so highly of me."

"I didn't mean it like that," she defended.

"Yes, you did. Whatever." I rolled my eyes, and stole Bella's cereal from her, ignoring her incredibly mild protest. Somehow eating the way too sugary fruit loops settled my stomach.

"Maybe it would help," Dad said, shooting me a look. Ah yes, the warning glance. It was one I was familiar with.

"And maybe it wouldn't help one little bit."

"It's beyond me, Bella. Maybe your mother—"

"Look," Bella said in a flat voice. "I'll go out tonight if you want. I'll call Jess or Angela."

"Do _not_ bring Jessica here," I warned her. I almost started melting the metal spoon in my hand. "That brat is getting on my last nerves."

All term it had been; '_Where are the Cullens', 'Why don't you sit with us?',(_and tell us all the gossip), '_What's wrong with Bella?', 'Why'd you die your hair?', 'Will you go out with me?'_.

That last one was from Newton, but still.

"That's not what I want," he argued, frustrated. "I don't think I can live through seeing you try harder. I've never seen anyone trying so hard. It hurts to watch."

"I don't understand, Dad. First, you're mad because I'm not doing anything, and then you say you don't want me to go out."

"I want you to be happy—no, not even that much. I just want you not to be miserable. I think you'll have a better chance if you get out of Forks."

"What about Morgana?" Bella asked. I was pleased to see her acknowledge me, although slightly annoyed she was just using me to get out of it. "Will she have to come? How am I supposed to be happy if all I hear is her complaining?"

And now very annoyed. "I have legitimate reasons for not liking Mum," I defended.

"Ones that we can talk about _later,_" Dad said. At least he wasn't calling me crazy for hating being treated like I was insane. "And no, you won't have to go."

"I'm not leaving," Bella said.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"I'm in my last semester of school—it would screw everything up."

"You're a good student—you'll figure it out." "I don't want to crowd Mom and Phil."

"Your mother's been dying to have you back."

"Florida is too hot."

I barely blinked when Dad's fist came down on the table again. "We both know what's really going on here, Bella, and it's not good for you." He took a deep breath. "It's been months. No calls, no letters, no contact. You can't keep waiting for him."

"I'm not waiting for anything. I don't expect anything," Bella said in a low monotone.

"Bella—," Charlie began, his voice thick.

"I have to get to school," she interrupted, standing up and yanking mine and Charlie's eggs from the table, dumping them in the sink. She came back for her fruitloops, tugging them out of my hands and throwing the remains in the bin.

"I'll make plans with Jessica," she called over her shoulder as she strapped on her bag. "Maybe I won't be home for dinner. We'll go to Port Angeles and watch a movie."

She was out the front door before we could react.

"It's six forty-three," Dad said, slumping back in his seat. "Six forty-three in the morning. Who goes to school that early?'

I shrugged my shoulders and headed over to the fridge, hoping to find some bacon to cook up.

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**Please review - it makes me happy!**

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**A/N - Thanks for all your support, and for reading**

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AnimeFreak71777 - :D

diamondeyes323 - I know right! Goddamn Carlisle. And as you'll see later on, Morgana's not going to bawl her eyes out, but she will face a few demons

binhacunha3 - thanks

lolistarkiller - Me too. I love how much her personality has grown

Guest - I have no idea if I've mentioned something like that, or alluded to it, but you're actually not far off what I was planning to do. I won't give away too many spoilers, but yeah, you can definitely look forward to Morgana in a padded room.

Brookie Twiling - Thanks! I do try to make Morgana way more mature than Bella - I've never really liked Bella's character so that's a part of it, but also it helps create a more original story for Morgana. And yeah, Leah will most likely phase, and, hopefully, you'll get to see more of her in Morgana's version of New Moon.

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**Sorry if I missed your review - just tell me and I'll PM you**


	22. Honey, It's A Blessing And A Curse

**Today's Quote: **

**I exercised once, but I found out I'm allergic to it. My skin flushed and my heart raced, and I got sweaty and short of breath. Very dangerous!**

* * *

**I gave a riddle to my brother, and he absolutely failed it. I wanna know if it's hard or if he's just bad at riddles. Anyone up for a challenge? **

**"You measure my life in hours, and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin, and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?**

* * *

Bella's fingers twisted into the belt-loop of my jeans, pulling me towards her seat. I unhooked her fingers and stood next to her, towering over Bella for once due to the fact she was sitting.

"Hi, Ana," Jessica said brightly, beaming at me from her spot at the lunch table. I scowled at both the nickname and her general perkiness. "You should _totes_ sit with us, Bella and I were just talking about this movie that we're going to."

"Cool," I said, disinterested. "And?"

"And you should come with us!" Jessica said.

"I'm good."

"Morgana, I want you to come. It won't be the same without you," Bella said, her voice as lifeless as ever. Because _that_ was convincing.

"As much as I'm pleased you've taken an interest in _anything_, I'm not watching some dramatic-ass Romeo and Juliet type movie."

"Actually," Jessica said, in a voice _far_ too condescending for my liking, "it's that new zombie movie."

"Dead End?" I asked, surprised. It was said to be one of the scariest horror movies all year - why Bella would want to watch it, I had no idea.

"Yeah. You should definitely come, and then we can all get dinner and catch up."

As much as I didn't want to 'catch up' with Jessica, if this would help get Bella out of her funk then it couldn't be that bad of an idea. Besides, I had seen the trailers for Dead End, and the movie looked promising.

"Okay," I said slowly. "But if I find out that you've dragged me to that rom-com thing you were squealing about to Lauren in math class, I _will_ cut your fingers off."

Jessica gulped.

I didn't feel the need to tell her that cutting off fingers took far too long (thank you, crazies at Westhock Asylum for those wonderous tales of murder, btw), and that I'd rather torture her by pulling out her hairs.

"So? You'll come?"

"I just said that, didn't I?" I said. "Now, let me go, I want to go grab a pudding cup before they run out."

* * *

The day passed quickly, and I soon found myself standing in front of my closet. While I wasn't looking forward to spending time with Jessica, I couldn't help my excitement building over going out. I hadn't been to the movies in nearly a year, and it would be nice to get out of Forks.

I quickly stripped off my shorts and singlet, replacing them with an oversized sweater and leggings - I was going out with my depressed sister and her annoying friend. There wasn't exactly much need for me to dress up.

There was a soft knock at my door and I hurried over to unlock it, opening it for Dad. He looked worried, his stress lines and wrinkles appearing more prominent on his face.

"You're going out with Bella tonight, right Ana?"

"Yeah," I said slowly.

"Will you look out for her?"

"No Dad," I said sarcastically. "I'm going to just abandon her on the streets, maybe even steal her clothes if I feel like it."

My humour went unappreciated. "Morgana."

"I know, I know," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'll watch out for her and make sure the zombies don't come to life from the screen and eat her brains."

Dad's eyes softened. "I know this must have been really hard for you, Ana," he said, sitting on the edge of my bed. "Dealing with your friends leaving, and then your sister, and everything Renee has been doing."

"Wait, what's Mum been doing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just everything that's already happened because of her, I mean."

"Uh-huh."

"Point is," he continued, "I'm really proud of you, kiddo."

A pleasant warmth spread through my body, and I felt my eyes prick with tears. I stubbornly wiped at my eyes. It was dumb and stupid, and a bunch of other synonyms, but hearing someone say they were proud of me? It was different. A nice different.

"Thanks, Dad," I said.

"Anytime."

We stared at each other before I cleared my throat loudly and swatted at a fly.

"I think I hear Jessica's car," I said, saving us both from the awkward silence.

"Right." Dad stood up and gave me a tense hug. Clearly, he was just as useless with feelings as I was. "I should, um-"

"Yup."

I half shooed him out of the room, grabbing a small purse and a pair of white sneakers. I heard a horn honking and hurried down the stairs, meeting up with Bella.

"Hi," she said. I raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you, chatty?" I asked. "First you invite me out and now you're greeting me? I feel like I should start shouting '_The end is nigh!_', or something."

Bella glared at me. "I just need to hang out with you so Charlie'll get off my back."

"Rude," I said, "but understandable. Not just anyone can handle all of this-" I ran my hands down my sides "-at once."

"Right," she said, in a tone that clearly showed her lack of respect for my joke. I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon moody."

We made our way outside, climbing into Jessica's little white car. I sighed as my ears registered the all too cheery pop music playing.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight," Bella told Jess.

"Sure. So, what brought this on?" Jess wondered as she drove down our street.

"Brought what on?"

"Why did you suddenly decide… to go out?" It sounded like she changed her question halfway through. Bella shrugged.

"Just needed a change. Do you mind?" Bella asked, reaching for the radio dial.

"No, go ahead."

My ears almost bled as Bella switched through every channel, finally settling on some knock-off rap music.

"This is horrible," I muttered.

"Since when do you listen to rap?" Jessica asked.

"I don't know," Bella said. "A while."

"You like this?" I asked doubtfully. What was _with_ that girl?

"Sure."

Bella bobbed her head slightly out of time with the music, and I groaned. If she was going to torture us with this 'music', the least she could do was pretend she was listening too.

"So what's up with you and Mike these days?" Bella asked quickly.

"You see him more than I do," Jessica said.

"It's hard to talk at work," Bella mumbled and then tried again to spark a conversation. "Have you been out with anyone lately?"

"Not really. I go out with Conner sometimes. I went out with Eric two weeks ago." From the mirror, I could see Jesica roll her eyes, and I braced myself for a long, ridiculous, and incredibly boring story.

"Eric Yorkie? Who asked who?"

Jessica groaned, getting more animated. "He did, of course! I couldn't think of a nice way to say no."

"Where did he take you?" Bella demanded.

"It's Eric Yorkie," I said, "probably some bad date at a diner."

"It was, actually," Jessica said, smiling brightly at me. I grimaced back.

She launched into her tale, and I rested my head against the door of the car. I brought out my phone and flipped it between my fingers. Feeling incredibly bored, and also incredibly dumb, I scrolled through my contacts for the half-second it took before I found Carlisle.

'_Hey,'_ I texted. '_Dad's making me go to the movies with Bella and Jessica - entertain me please?'_

He should have been working, he probably was, actually, but a response popped up on my screen almost immediately.

'_Butterflies taste with their hind feet.'_

Random, yes, but exactly the kind of response I expected from Carlisle. '_Really?'_

'_Yes. Also, humans have only discovered 5% of the ocean.'_

'_That I did know.' _ I let that sink in for a moment. '_Humans?'_

'_I may have taken a quick trip down to the bottom of the ocean back in the 1800s. The underwater pressure is intense.'_

'_Seriously?'_

'_One day I'll show you.'_

I bit my lip. I'd have to be a vampire for that to happen, which would require me to want to be one, and for Carlisle to be back in Forks. Obviously sensing the tension, Carlisle continued with reducing my boredom.

'_Knock-knock_,' he texted. A small smile worked its way onto my face.

'_Who's there?'_

'_Cash.'_

'_Cash who?'_

'_No thanks, I prefer peanuts.'_

I may have snorted at that. '_You're ridiculous_.'

'_Thank you.'_

We pulled up outside the cinema, and I texted Carlisle a quick bye before stepping out of the car. The movie was playing early, so Jess thought we should hit the twilight showing and eat later.

Despite the incredible ratings and reviews of horrified critics, the movie was fantastically tedious. It was impressive how dull they had managed to make the horror film. Not just was the acting bad, but the plot was predictable.

"This is horrible," I said lowly to Jessica.

"I know," she said, before shrieking as the zombie ripped off his arm. "It's so scary!"

"What? No. The props are horrible, I mean, look at that blood! It's way too dark, and honestly, ripping off an arm wouldn't cause _that _much blood. Like, sure, there'd be a lot of it, but not _that_ much."

Jessica and some people behind us shushed me. "Sorry," I muttered. "What time does this movie end?"

"Eight," Bella whispered.

"I'm gonna do some shopping, I'll meet you back here in an hour, then."

I took my time walking around the streets, I had an hour to waste, and Port Angeles didn't have that much to do. It took me a moment to realise it, but my aimless walking had caused me to arrive in front of the same witchy store from last year.

Just like before, the windows were full of crystals, tarot cards, dreamcatchers and anything else that could be considered magical. And just like last time, I felt a rush of excitement, but also the feeling that I was _supposed_ to be here. I _had_ to be here.

Bells jingled as I stepped inside, and I was met with the same lady as before. Again she wore colourful beads and a rainbow shawl, the only difference I could see was that her grey hair had grown even longer, the tips of it now brushing against the floor.

"Hello," I said, giving a tight smile. Last time I had been here she had gone off about some sign, and the 'stench of the undead', and yet here I was, back again.

"Humph," she snorted. "It's you."

"Thanks?"

She curled a finger at me, inviting me to come closer to her. She sniffed me deeply. "Excellent," she said in her raspy voice. "You've lost the scent. Killed the dead off, have you?"

"Not quite," I said, tugging a strand of my hair back from her wrinkled hands. "The, uh, 'undead' have left town."

"Good. Now we can worry about your ash and smoke."

"We can?"

"Keep up, will you?"

She pulled me over to a chair and forced me into it.

"Um-"

"Shush!" She pushed me back down when I tried to stand. "Sit, let me help you."

I sighed. "Sure, why not? Although I do have to tell you, I've kinda started loving my powers. They've grown on me, so if you can get rid of them, I'd really rather you didn't."

The witch gasped in horror. "Get rid of them? No! No, no, no! They're a gift from the gods! It cannot be removed! It is a blessing in a curse! A curse in-"

"-a blessing, I remember from last time."

"Then you will remember that the gods are the ones that blessed you with this curse, or cursed you with this blessing, however you feel it to be."

"Sure," I said. I eyed her suspiciously as she gathered a bunch of vile-smelling plants from a drawer in a chest. "You're not gonna make me eat those, are you?"

The witch cackled, and I pushed myself back in the chair. The way she moved, with the grace of a ballerina and yet creepiness of a contortionist, added with her rasping voice, strange plants and now her cackling… it made me uneasy.

"No, you don't eat them, silly child," she said, shaking her head as though it was something everyone should know. She placed them on the floor around me, each of the plants leaking green slime. Where she found them, or even what they were I had _zero _ideas.

"Right."

"What you lack, child, is-"

The door jingled, and a couple walked in holding hands.

"_Out! Out!_" the witch screeched. She grabbed a broom from who knows where and held it up threateningly. "Can't you see I'm busy?" she yelled. "Normals," she muttered angrily as they backed out of the shop. I bit my tongue to hold myself back from saying anything rude.

"What I lack?" I prompted, instead.

"Yes. You lack control, don't you? You have it until a point, and then it flitters away and you have no authority or direction, correct?"

"I suppose."

"I thought so."

She pressed her fingers to my temple, and then to my ears, and then to my mouth.

"What're you doing?" I managed to say, despite the pressure on my lips.

"Granting you control."

"Um, thanks?" I said, my voice full of scepticism.

"You're very welcome."

Her fingers trailed down my body, prodding under my armpits and between my fingers and into the ribs and then into the flesh under my hip bone. Just as she got lower, and I started to think it could get even weirder, she stood up, her posture straighter than, well, Bella.

"There. All done," she said sweetly.

"Right. I can, I can go now?"

She nodded, and I hurried out of the chair, stepping away from the foul plants as fast as I could.

"What was the point of that?" I sighed, shaking my head.

"Control, obviously."

"Right. Thanks for, well, whatever that was," I said.

"Control," she reminded me.

"Uh-huh."

"You can go now," she added. "I'll see you next year, I'm sure."

I threw my hands up in annoyance. "I'm just gonna go with it. Bye-bye."

I stalked out of the shop. What an absolute waste of my time! What _was_ I thinking, going in there? And, from a quick check of my phone, I had mere minutes to get back to the cinema in time if I wanted to be on time.

I arrived at the theatre only a few minutes after eight, and caught Bella and Jessica as they came out of the movie.

"Was the movie too scary for you?" Jessica wondered to Bella.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I guess I'm just a coward."

"That's funny." She frowned. "I didn't think you were scared—I was screaming all the time, but I didn't hear you scream once. So I didn't know why you left."

Bella shrugged. "Just scared."

"That was the scariest movie I think I've ever seen. I'll bet we're going to have nightmares tonight."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "From what I saw, that _entire_ movie was rushed and _horribly_ put together."

"There's no need to be rude," Jessica chided. I rolled my eyes. "Where do you want to eat?"

"I don't care," Bella said.

"Some place decent," I said.

"Okay."

Jess started talking about the male lead in the movie as we walked. I nodded as she gushed over his hotness, unable to remember seeing an attractive man at all. I didn't watch where Jessica was leading me, only paying attention when Jessica gripped my arm with freezing fingers.

"Can you like, not?" I asked, rolling my eyes, only to forget my complaint after glancing around myself for the first time.

We were on a short stretch of unlit sidewalk. The little shops lining the street were all locked up for the night, windows black. Half a block ahead, the streetlights started up again, and I could see, farther down, the bright golden arches of the McDonald's we were heading for. Across the street there was one open business.

The windows were covered from inside and there were neon signs, advertisements for different brands of beer, glowing in front of them. The biggest sign, in brilliant green, was the name of the bar—One-Eyed Pete's. I wondered if there was some pirate theme not visible from outside. The metal door was propped open; it was dimly lit inside, and the low murmur of many voices and the sound of ice clinking in glasses floated across the street. Lounging against the wall beside the door were four men.

"Jessica, calm down," I said as she hurried her walk, dragging me along with her vice like grip. "It'll be fine," I lied. I couldn't exactly reveal my powers to Jessica, which left us practically defenceless.

I glanced back at Jessica. Her eyes were fixed on the path ahead and she moved briskly. She didn't look frightened—just wary, trying to not attract attention to herself.

Beside me Bella paused and stared at the four men.

"Bella?" Jessica whispered. "What are you doing?"

"I think I know them…" she muttered.

"Bella, why- nevermind." I grabbed her hand to try and pull her towards the McDonalds. She resisted, still staring at the men with an odd fascination.

"Bella, come on!" Jessica said.

Bella ignored her, pulling out of my grip and walking slowly forward. I lunged forward and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back.

"Bella! You can't go in a bar!" Jessica hissed.

"I'm not going in," Bella said absently, shaking my hand off. "I just want to see something…"

"Are you crazy?" Jessica whispered. "Are you suicidal?"

I stared at Bella, wide eyed, waiting for her answer.

"No, I'm not," Bella said lowly. "Go eat," Bella encouraged us, waving toward the fast food. "I'll catch up in a minute."

"She's right," I said to Jessica. "Go order us something, I'll watch her and make sure she doesn't do anything dumb. Well, dumber."

Maybe I should've tried to drag her away, but it felt like one of those scenarios with a sleepwalker. It was better to ride it out then wake her up. And powers and promises to Dad or not, I was still going to protect her.

"Are you sure?" Jessica asked dubiously.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead."

Jessica crept backward, obviously pleased she wouldn't have to deal Bella or the strange men, though she still looked concerned. I turned away from her, back to the men who were watching us with amused, curious eyes.

Bella walked forward a few more steps before stopping and staring at an empty spot on the road.

"Bella?" I asked, when she made no move to go back or continue her journey.

"Hi," one of the men called, his tone both confident and a bit sarcastic. He was fair-skinned and fair-haired, and he stood with the assurance of someone who thought of himself as quite good-looking. "Can I help you with something? You look lost."

"Oh, fuck off!" I said, rolling my eyes. "She's obviously going through something, and looking at _your_ ugly mug is only gonna make it worse."

His mates laughed at him, snickering at his misfortune.

"No. I'm not lost," Bella said slowly. Still she watched the men closely.

"Can I buy you a drink?" another man offered.

"I'm too young," Bella answered automatically.

"Well, what about you, Blueie?"

"I'm younger," I replied dryly.

He was baffled—wondering why we had approached them.

"From across the street, you looked like someone I knew," Bella explained. "Sorry, my mistake."

"That's okay," the confident blonde said. "Stay and hang out with us."

"What part of 'fuck off' don't you blokes get?" I asked sarcastically. The man held his hand to his heart.

"I'm hurt," he joked. "C'mon, just for a few minutes."

Bella shook her head, and we turned to rejoin Jessica.

"Let's go eat," I suggested. Jessica nodded, glaring at Bella.

"What were you thinking?" Jessica snapped. "You don't know them—they could have been psychopaths!"

Bella shrugged. "I just thought I knew the one guy."

"You are so _odd_, Bella Swan. I feel like I don't know who you are anymore."

"Sorry."

We walked to McDonald's in silence. I'd bet that she was wishing we'd taken her car instead of walking the short distance from the theater, so that she could use the drive-through. She was just as anxious now for this evening to be over as I had been from the beginning. Bella tried to start a conversation a few times while we ate, but Jessica was not cooperative.

When we go back in the car, she tuned the stereo back to her favorite station and turned the volume too loud to allow easy conversation. The ride had not taken long, but, short as it seemed, I wouldn't have thought that Jessica could go that long without speaking.

"Thanks for going out with me, Jess," Bella said as she opened her door. "That was…fun."

"Sure," she muttered.

"I'm sorry about… after the movie."

"Whatever, Bella. Bye Morgana."

Bella must have _really _offended Jessica if now _I _was her favourite.

She drove away, still without looking at Bella. Dad was waiting for us in the middle of the hall, his arms folded tight over his chest with his hands balled into fists.

"Hey, Dad," Bella said absentmindedly as she ducked around Dad, heading for the stairs.

"How'd it go?" Dad asked.

"It was…" Boring at the movies? Weird with the witch? Disturbing with the men? Awkward in the car? "It went fine," I said instead. "Bella seemed… more lifelike."

"That's good," Charlie said. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I didn't _dislike_ the movie," I said truthfully. I just hated the little bit I had seen. "I'm gonna head to bed, goodnight Dad."

"Night Ana."

* * *

**First up - Yes! Over 300 followers! Thank you all SO much for your support - it really does mean a lot to me. Also, over 200 people have favorited Honey It Burns, which is just **_**amazing**_**!**

**Next, I just want to say that while Morgana may seem to be a little indifferent or even mean towards bad mental health, particularly depression, that does not reflect my own views. Unfortunately for Bella, all Morgana sees is an overreacting girlfriend. Because Morgana can deal with Carlisle being gone, she doesn't get why Bella can't live without Edward. **

**Also, assuming that I won't update before the end of the month, because, let's face it, I'm me, Happy New Year! **

**(Is anyone else sad this is the last month the 20/20 vision joke can be used?)**

* * *

**AnimeFreak71777 - **:D

**GhostWriter71 - **I'm afraid I can't help you with the egg question - I have _zero _idea. I literally never eat eggs, and the last time I had one my Mum made it, so… I literally just wrote the scene hoping it wasn't _too_ incorrect. Let's just go with it's a 'Morgana Special'.

And yes, the imprinting and soulmates can be super disturbing. As the story progresses you're definitely gonna see a lot of my views being voiced by Morgana.

And yeah, when I was little I watched BBC's Merlin _all_ the time, and Morgana was my favourite character.

**Lolistarkiller - **Yeah, Renee was always a little nuts in the books, so I'm kinda just expanding that crazy and using it to suit HIB. As for her meeting the wolves, well… It'll definitely be interesting, I can tell you that. I haven't even thought about Harry yet - I'm not sure how she's help, but I'll see what I can do to incorporate that idea. And yup, Charlie and her relationship will only grow stronger.

**Brookie Twiling - **She really does. And yeah, despite having had my parents split and do custody over me, I have like _zero_ idea of how that really works. So yes, Renee has full custody of both the girls, but that will probably change later on. As for how the mental asylums and stuff are legal… um… next question? Honestly, I'm just making all this up as I go.

**Libbywww - **Lets just say, the end of New Moon is gonna be pretty exciting.

**Terriekusugak - **Nope. There's this book (New Moon), and two more (Eclipse and Breaking Dawn). I will hopefully finish all four books in total. And thanks :)

**Bimbumel2 - :) **Thanks

**Guest - ** I promise to always keep updating, it just might take me some time. I swear I get the worst writers block, and it's _so_ annoying.

**Hermonine - **Thank you, and I will


	23. Honey, I Do Exist, You Know

**Today's Quote:**

**The divorce rate between my socks is astonishing.**

* * *

On the screen, Katniss ran through the woods, desperate for safety. I reached for another handful of popcorn, cramming it into my mouth. Say whatever you want, the Hunger Games were intense.

"Are you watching that _again?_" Dad asked, perching on the edge of the couch. He was in his full uniform, all that was missing was his gun.

"Uh-huh," I said, not taking my eyes off the screen. Dad's hand crept towards the popcorn, and I swatted it away. "Popcorn is for people who like Hunger Games," I said. "Not strange parents who find it boring."

"I don't find it boring," Dad lied. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he relented. "Fine. I just don't see the big fuss about it. If you ask me, Harry Potter? A million times better."

"And that, dearest Dad, is why you don't get any popcorn."

Dad rolled his eyes, and then leant over and kissed me on the forehead. My eyes narrowed as I watched his hands move behind his back.

"Are you stealing popcorn while pretending to love me?"

"I _do_ love you," he said.

"It's interesting that that's the only point you deny."

Dad shrugged his shoulders before standing up. "I'm off," he said. He grabbed his gun from the table, heading out the door.

"Theft is a crime!" I shouted after him.

"Not if you're the Chief of Police!" he called back, shutting the door behind him.

I laughed, settling back on the couch to continue watching the movie. My fingers dug through the bowl of popcorn only to discover all the popped kernels had been stolen.

"How rude," I muttered. I took a handful of the seeds and held them in my hand, warming them up into they popped beautifully.

"Morgana!"

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I screamed, letting the popcorn drop to the floor. I turned around and sighed in relief. "Thank God, I thought you were Dad."

Bella shook her head. "He just drove out of the driveway," she said, her voice emotionless. I had had _math teachers _with more feeling than her. "I need your help."

I frowned, pushing the pause button on the remote.

"With what? If you're wondering how to better perfect your middle of the night screaming, don't worry. It's _plenty_ loud," I said, crouching over to scoop the popcorn off the ground.

Bella just glared at me. "You know motorbikes, right?"

"Believe it or not, but after nearly three years of riding them, I know what a motorbike is."

"No, I mean, you know how to ride them."

"I literally _just_ said I did."

Bella huffed. "I saved two motorbikes from the junkyard and I want to know if you can fix them, yes or no?"

I stared at her. "You bought two scrap metal bikes?"

"Yes. Can you fix them?"

I crossed my arms. "I mean, I could take a look at them, but I'm not a mechanic."

"They're outside."

I followed Bella out to the driveway. On the back of her truck were two rusted, dilapidated bikes.

"What am I looking at, Isabella," I sighed.

"Can they be fixed?"

"They'd cost more than they're worth," I said, trailing my fingers over the seat. Even that was broken, the leather torn in several areas. "It'll be expensive, although-" I nodded at the other bike "-this one's alright. It's an old Harly Sprint, and it looks pretty decent. It'll still be a lot to pay for a mechanic though."

If only I had Rosalie here, she would've been great at rebuilding them.

"Okay, but do you remember Jacob Black?" Bella asked. Her voice, while still flat, held a tremor of excitement I hadn't heard from her in over half a year.

"Sure," I said. I did, (vaguely), but what he had to do with this I had no idea.

"He's rebuilt cars before. If I got him the parts, would he be able to fix it?"

I took another look at the bikes. "He probably could." I paused, considering my words. "If he was to get these bikes fixed," I said slowly, biting my lip, "would I be able to use them?"

Bella almost smiled. "I need a teacher, don't I?"

I could've squealed. As much as I respected Charlie's decision to confiscate my bike, I missed it so much. I couldn't begin to explain how much I longed to be able to ride freely, so fast that the colours blurred together and I almost felt dizzy.

"I'm in, then."

The Blacks' house was vaguely familiar, a small wooden place with narrow windows, the dull red paint making it resemble a tiny barn. Jacob's head peered out of the window before we could even get out of the truck. No doubt the familiar roar of the engine had tipped him off to our approach.

He met Bella halfway to the house. "Bella!"

His excited grin stretched wide across his face, the bright teeth standing in vivid contrast to the deep russet colour of his skin. His hair was out of its usual ponytail. It fell like black satin curtains on either side of his broad face. Jacob had grown into some of his potential in the last eight months.

He'd passed that point where the soft muscles of childhood hardened into the solid, lanky build of a teenager; the tendons and veins had become prominent under the red-brown skin of his arms, his hands.

I stepped out of the truck, giving him a small smile. "Hello, Jacob," I said. The boy blushed, the red on his cheeks so bright it stood out against his dark skin. I was suddenly very annoyed I was wearing a tight singlet and high-waisted denim shorts - as much as I loved the attention, I was only here for the bikes.

"Hi, Morgana," he said nervously.

"Hey, Jacob!" Bella said, thankfully returning the attention to her. "You grew again!" she accused in amazement. He laughed, his smile widening impossibly.

"Six five," he announced with self-satisfaction, looking straight at me. I frowned, why was everyone so much taller than me? Even in heals I was a head shorter than most.

"Very impressive," I said dryly to Jacob, who seemed to grow even taller at the praise.

"Is it ever going to stop?" Bella asked in disbelief. I smiled at her. It was nice seeing her display some feeling. "You're huge."

"Still a beanpole, though." He grimaced. "Come inside!"

He led the way, twisting his hair in his big hands as he walked. He pulled a rubber band from his hip pocket and wound it around the bundle.

"Hey, Dad," he called as he ducked to get through the front door. "Look who stopped by."

Billy was in the tiny square living room, a book in his hands. He set the book in his lap and wheeled himself forward when he saw us.

"Well, what do you know! It's good to see you, Bella." He smiled at my sister before looking at me. "Morgana," he said, his voice cold.

I stopped myself from a snarky response, settling instead for a nod of acknowledgement. What was his problem?

Billy shook hands with Bella, pointedly ignoring the fact that I was there too.

"What brings you out here? Everything okay with Charlie?"

"Yes, absolutely. I just wanted to see Jacob—I haven't seen him in forever."

Jacob's eyes brightened at Bella's words. He was smiling so big it looked like it would hurt his cheeks.

"Can you stay for dinner, Bella?" Billy said. It was clear from his I wasn't invited.

"No, I've got to feed Charlie, you know."

"I'll call him now," Billy suggested. "He's always invited."

I crossed my arms, annoyed. "I do exist, you know."

"Yeah, you do," Jacob muttered, his eyes flicking across my body. I rolled my eyes.

Bella laughed to hide her discomfort. "It's not like you'll never see me again. I promise I'll be back again soon—so much you'll get sick of me."

Billy chuckled in response. "Okay, maybe next time."

"So, Bella, Morgana, what do you want to do?" Jacob asked.

"Whatever," I said.

"What were you doing before I interrupted?" Bella asked.

Jacob hesitated. "I was just heading out to work on my car, but we can do something else…"

"No, that's perfect!" Bella interrupted. "I'd love to see your car."

"Okay," he said, not convinced. "It's outback, in the garage."

Bella waved at Billy. "See you later."

I made to head out with the two, but Billy called me back. "Morgana, a word?"

I huffed but turned on my heal. "Yes?"

Billy rolled closer to me. "I know you were hanging out with the cold ones, and I also know you were dating one of them."

"Technically you're only half right," I said. Billy glared at me.

"I don't trust you. You've made friends with bloodsuckers, and-"

"So has Bella," I interrupted. "_She's_ the one that dated one."

"_Bella _isn't crazy."

"I beg to differ. If anything, I'm the sane one out of the two."

"Yes," he said sarcastically. "That's why she spent her childhood in mental facilities. Oh, wait, that was you. I don't trust you, Morgana Swan. Whether you're deranged or not, you have a history of violence, and to pair that up with cold ones? I have to think about the safety of my tribe."

I clenched my hands, resisting the urge to blow up the house. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I _did_ have a history of violence.

"Can I go now?" I asked.

"Of course. No one's stopping you," he said pleasantly, although I could hear the undertones of hate. Whatever he had heard, it must've been bad. "But remember, Morgana, we're watching."

I turned and stalked out of the house, my blood boiling. It was lucky I didn't set the house on fire, considering how pissed I was. Who was he to tell me I was crazy?

A thick stand of trees and shrubbery concealed the garage from the house. The garage was no more than a couple of big preformed sheds that had been bolted together with their interior walls knocked out. Under this shelter, raised on cinder blocks, was what looked to me like a completed automobile. I recognized it as a Volkswagen, a Rabbit, I thought.

"What'd Dad want?" Jacob asked when I entered.

"Nothing," I lied. I sat on the hood, genie style. "Bella tell you what's going on?"

"No, what's up?" he asked, looking at Bella.

"I recently acquired a couple of bikes, and they're not in the greatest condition. I wonder if you could get them running?"

"Cool." He seemed truly pleased by the challenge. His face glowed. "I'll give it a try."

I held up one finger in warning. "The thing is," I explained, "Charlie doesn't approve of me riding a motorbike. Honestly, he'd probably bust a vein in his forehead if he knew about this. So you can't tell Billy."

"Sure, sure." Jacob smiled. "I understand."

"I'll pay you," Bella continued for me. This offended him.

"No. I want to help. You can't pay me."

"Well… how about a trade, then?"

"We only need one bike between us," I said. I knew Bella loved her truck, so it was likely Bella would use it for general errands. That meant when she was out, I'd be able to use the bike. "So how about this? We'll give you the other bike, and I'll teach you how to drive in the more dangerous areas."

"Swee-eet." He made the word into two syllables.

"Wait a sec—are you legal yet? When's your birthday?" Bella asked worriedly.

"You missed it," he teased, narrowing his eyes in mock resentment. "I'm sixteen."

"Not that your age ever stopped you before," Bella muttered. "Sorry about your birthday."

"Don't worry about it. I missed yours. What are you, forty?"

Bella sniffed. "Close."

"When's yours, Morgana?"

I made a face. "A week before Christmas - everyone buys me joint presents."

Jacob laughed. I suddenly got what Bella had told me ages ago - Jacob Black was just really easy to get along with.

"We'll have a joint party to make up for it."

"Sounds like a date," Bella said.

His eyes sparkled at the word. It was good to know it wasn't just me he was lusting after.

"Maybe when the bikes are finished—our present to ourselves," I added.

"Deal. When will you bring them down?"

Bella bit her lip, embarrassed. "They're in my truck now," she admitted.

"Great." He seemed to mean it.

"Will Billy see if we bring them around?" I asked. If Dad found out I was gonna start riding again, I'd be crushed. Jacob winked at me.

"We'll be sneaky."

We eased around from the east, sticking to the trees when we were in view of the windows, affecting a casual-looking stroll, just in case. Jacob unloaded the bikes swiftly from the truck bed, wheeling them one by one into the shrubbery where I hid. It looked too easy for him, and my heart thudded — it reminded me of Emmett.

"These aren't half bad," Jacob appraised as we pushed them through the cover of the trees. "This one here will actually be worth something when I'm done—it's an old Harley Sprint."

"That one's yours, then," Bella said.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"These are going to take some cash, though," he said, frowning down at the blackened metal. "We'll have to save up for parts first."

"We nothing," Bella disagreed. "This is my crazy plan. If you're doing this for free, I'll pay for the parts."

"I don't know…" he muttered.

"I've got some money saved. College fund, you know," Bella said.

It still wowed me that in a year and a bit, that was where Bella and I would be. Assuming I got accepted and wanted to go, that was. I still had _zero_ ideas about what I wanted to do after school.

The motorcycles didn't need to be hidden any further than simply placing them in Jacob's shed. Billy's wheelchair couldn't maneuver the uneven ground separating it from the house. Jacob started pulling the first bike—the red one, which was destined for us—to pieces immediately.

He opened up the passenger door of the Rabbit so Bella could sit on the seat instead of the ground. I continued to perch on the hood.

While he worked, Jacob chattered happily, needing only the slightest of nudges from me to keep the conversation rolling. He updated me on the progress of his sophomore year of school, running on about his classes and his two best friends.

"Quil and Embry?" Bella interrupted. "Those are unusual names."

Jacob chuckled. "Quil's is a hand-me-down, and I think Embry got named after a soap opera star. I can't say anything, though. They fight dirty if you start on their names—they'll tag team you."

"Good friends." Bella raised one eyebrow.

"No, they are. Just don't mess with their names."

Just then a call echoed in the distance. "Jacob?" someone shouted.

"Is that Billy?" Bella asked.

"No." Jacob ducked his head, and it looked like he was blushing under his brown skin. "Speak of the devil," he mumbled, "and the devil shall appear."

"Jake? Are you out here?"

The shouting voice was closer now.

"Yeah!" Jacob shouted back, and sighed.

We waited through the short silence until two tall, dark-skinned boys strolled around the corner into the shed. One was slender, and almost as tall as Jacob. His black hair was chin-length and parted down the middle, one side tucked behind his left ear while the right side swung free. The shorter boy was more burly. His white T-shirt strained over his well-developed chest, and he seemed gleefully conscious of that fact. His hair was so short it was almost a buzz.

Both boys stopped short when they saw us. The thin boy glanced swiftly back and forth between Jacob and Bella, while the brawny boy kept his eyes on me, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, guys," Jacob greeted them halfheartedly.

"Hey, Jake," the short one said without looking away from me. I had to smile in response, his grin was so impish. When I did, he winked at me. "Hi, there."

"Quil, Embry—these are my friends, Bella and Morgana."

"I wouldn't go that far," I joked, and the boys laughed.

Quil and Embry, I still didn't know which was which, exchanged a loaded look.

"Charlie's kids, right?" the brawny boy asked me, holding out his hand.

"That's right," I confirmed, shaking hands with him. His grasp was firm; it looked like he was flexing his bicep. "I'm Quil Ateara," he announced grandly before releasing my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Quil."

"Hey, girls. I'm Embry, Embry Call—you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiled a shy smile and waved with one hand, which he then shoved in the pocket of his jeans. "I like your hair," he said nervously.

"Yeah?" I asked. He was like a little kid, easily excited and with plenty of energy. "Thanks."

"Oi, idiots!" a voice called from outside. "I thought we were playing soccer!"

Leah appeared in the doorway holding a battered ball. She looked as gorgeous as ever, and just as freakishly tall as before.

"Hey, Blue," she said, walking forward. She threw the ball at me and I caught it easily, passing it back.

"How creative," I said wryly. "'Cause I've never been called _that_ before."

"Shut it. What are you guys doing?" She asked. She sat next to me on the car, kicking her legs over mine.

"We're going to fix up these bikes," Jacob explained inaccurately. But bikes seemed to be the magic word. Both boys went to examine Jacob's project, drilling him with educated questions.

"I almost forgot you rode," Leah said. "It's been ages since we caught up."

I nodded. "I know, it must've been terrible for you, missing out on all this," I said seriously, gesturing at myself.

She laughed loudly. "You wish," she retorted. "What's up with her?" she asked, nodding at Bella who watched with mild curiosity as Jacob explained the bike's mechanics.

"I have _no_ idea. Six months almost, not a smile. And now suddenly she wants to become a mechanic and ride motorbikes. I'm not complaining, but..." I rolled my eyes, shrugging. "It's weird."

"Better than silence though."

"True."

I bounced the ball against her head, catching it when it came back. Leah wrestled with me over it for half a second before easily winning and holding it close to her chest.

"Woah, muscles," I said, slightly impressed. "When'd you get so strong?"

Leah shrugged. "It's like all the boys are on steroids, I had to do _something_ to exert my dominance."

"'Something' being getting super strong, right?"

"Exactly."

The car shifted as Bella jumped out of the Rabbit. Jacob looked up, apologetic.

"We're boring you, aren't we?"

"Naw," Bella said.

"Are we going?" I asked her, disappointed. It had been fun talking to Leah, even if it was only for a little bit - I had missed her.

"I have to go cook dinner for Charlie."

I groaned loudly, laying down.

"I could just leave you here," Bella said. A small smile worked its way on her face, and her eyes gained a sparkle I hadn't seen in forever. "No promises of what happens to your copy of Hunger Games, though."

I shot straight up. "Don't you dare touch my movies," I warned, glaring at her. I pushed Leah's legs off me, patting them apologetically as I slid off the car. "See you around."

Leah smiled at me. "Duh. You can't live without me."

"That's very true," I said.

"I'll finish taking these apart tonight and figure out what more we'll need to get started rebuilding them," Jacob said. "When do you want to work on them again?"

'"Could we come back tomorrow?" Bella asked.

Quil nudged Embry's arm and they exchanged grins. Jacob smiled in delight. "That would be great!"

"If you make a list, we can go shop for parts," Bella suggested.

Jacob's face fell a little. "I'm still not sure I should let you pay for everything."

Bella shook her head. "No way. I'm bankrolling this party. You just have to supply the labour and expertise."

"That doesn't seem right," Jacob shook his head.

"Jake, if I took these to a mechanic, how much would he charge me?" Bella pointed out.

He smiled. "Okay, you're getting a deal."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jacob."

"See ya, loser!" Leah called out after me.

"Bye, weirdo!" I called back.

As soon as we were out of sight, I heard Quil and Embry chorus, "Wooooo!" The sound of a brief scuffle followed, interspersed with an "ouch" and a "hey!"

"If either of you set so much as one toe on my land tomorrow…" I heard Jacob threaten. His voice was lost as we walked through the trees. Bella giggled quietly. The sound made my eyes widen in wonder.

She was laughing, actually _laughing. _

"Are you on like drugs or something?" I asked suspiciously. Bella laughed again.

"Not even," she said.

We beat Dad home. When he walked in Bella was just taking the fried chicken out of the pan and laying it on a pile of paper towels.

"Hey Dad," I said from my place up on the counter.

"Hey, Sweetheart," he said. He placed his stuff down on the table and turned around just in time to see Bella say hello and grin at him. The look on his face was priceless, shock plastered on his face.

"Hey, honey," he said, his voice uncertain. "Did you have fun with Jacob?"

Bella started moving the food to the table. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, that's good." He was still cautious. "What did you two do?"

"I hung out in his garage and watched him work. Did you know he's rebuilding a Volkswagen?"

"Yeah, I think Billy mentioned that," Dad said, sitting down.

"_Thank you_," he mouthed at me, while Bella dished out the dinner.

"_No problem_."

* * *

As always, many thanks for reading, and _please_ leave a review. It always makes my day, and it means I can help create a better story that suits you guy's wants.

As for Billy and his hate of Morgana… I'm sorry if it seems kind of sudden/random, it was a spur of the moment decision, but I think it will help create more drama later on.

And btw, I'm like super proud of myself, two updates in less than a week? That's gotta be a first for me.

* * *

(Sorry if this was a super boring chapter, btw. I wasn't fully confident in it, so hopefully it was okay?)

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Have a wonderful day, bye! xx

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Binhacunha3 - Thanks

DxGRAYxMAN - Yup, you were the only one that got it. Now I have to go tease my brother about it! ;)

Eeeeaud - Carlisle is cute, yes. We'll definitely be seeing more of him in New Moon. I'm trying to very slowly bring Morgana and Bella closer, but as I said, it'll be slow. As for Bella in the know about Morgana texting Carlisle, I didn't think about that, but I'm gonna say no. Even if Morgana tried to tell Bella, it's likely Bella would shut her up as soon as the utters the word 'Cullen'.

Guest - I'm glad you're excited, lol

Lolistarkiller - I'm really sorry to hear about Bullet - I can't imagine how horrible that experience would have been. On the flip side, I'm super happy to hear that I managed to help unknowingly. Thanks for your support - I hope everything goes up for you from here on out. :)

Cl0udyth0ughts - He really is a pretty cool character, isn't he. I try to have a little bit of him in every chapter (eg. him stealing popcorn) because I feel like he deserves to be shown off as a supportive father. As for Renee, well… you'll see. Good pick up, by the way.

Brookie Twiling - I know, I both love and hate torturing my characters. It's super fun, but also I feel really bad for them. And for what Renee is doing? Well… Let's just say it's not going to be fun for Morgana. Is it weird I feel like doing an evil laugh now? Oh well, doing it anyway. _Muahahaha! _As for control, it'll definitely come in useful later.

Shippergirlky - Thanks


	24. Honey, She Talks!

**Today's Quote: **

**The Divorce Rate amongst my socks is astonishing.**

* * *

**Important A/N at the end.**

* * *

"You look well-rested," Dad commented as I sat down next to him at the table. I swallowed a mouthful of porridge before answering.

I pointed my spoon up in the direction of Bella's room and rolled my eyes. "It's a lot easier to sleep without Bella screaming," I said.

"Preaching to the choir, kiddo," he said. "I just hope it lasts."

"Agreed. Whatever she's snorting is my new favourite thing."

Dad stared at me, his fork slipping out of his hand. "She's on drugs?"

I forced back a smile at his extreme shock. I _may _have forgotten I was talking with the Police Chief.

"Kidding," I said quickly, holding up my hands in surrender. "Sorry."

"Not funny," he growled, though the corners of his lips turned up slightly.

"Sure it wasn't," I said, making Dad shake his head.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Love me and spoil me and finally admit I'm your favourite daughter?"

"You wish."

Bella walked down the stairs at that moment, and we launched into a conversation about school.

* * *

I was planning to sit alone at lunch, but Angela called me over to her table, and, well, I did like the girl, so I wasn't exactly about to break her heart.

"Hey Boo," I said, sitting down. "What's crackalackin?"

"Crackalackin?" she asked, eyeing me carefully. "Did the hair dye finally get to your brain?"

"Ooh, kitty's got claws," I joked.

"Meow," Angela said playfully.

"Where's Ben today?" Lauren said suddenly, asking Angela. I cursed under my breath - god I hated that girl.

"Ben's got the stomach flu," Angela said in her quiet, calm voice. "Hopefully it's just some twenty-four-hour thing. He was really sick last night."

"What did you two do this weekend?" Jessica asked, not sounding as if she cared about the answer. I'd bet that this was just an opener so she could tell her own stories. I wondered if she would talk about Port Angeles, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bella bristle.

"We were going to have a picnic Saturday, actually, but… we changed our minds," Angela said. There was an edge to her voice that caught my interest. Jess, not so much.

"That's too bad," she said, about to launch into her story.

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

"Well," Angela said, seeming more hesitant than usual, "we drove up north, almost to the hot springs—there's a good spot just about a mile up the trail. But, when we were halfway there… we saw something."

"Saw something? What?" Lauren asked, her voice rising an octave.

"I don't know," Angela said. "We think it was a bear. It was black, anyway, but it seemed… too big."

Lauren snorted. "Oh, not you, too!" Her eyes turned mocking, and I glared right at her.

"Oh, what would _you _know about bears?" I asked rudely. "Your sole three brain cells are too preoccupied with makeup and clothes to know _anything _useful."

Lauren gasped in outrage, and I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What, no comeback?" I asked snidely.

"It's just, Tyler tried to sell me that one last week," she said.

"You're not going to see any bears that close to the resort," Jessica said, siding with Lauren.

"Really though," Angela protested in a low voice, looking down at the table. "We did see it."

Jessica snickered.

"No, she's right," Bella threw in impatiently. "We had a hiker in just Saturday who saw the bear, too, Angela. He said it was huge and black and just outside of town, didn't he, Mike?"

There was a moment of silence. Every pair of eyes at the table turned to stare at her in shock. Angela had her mouth hanging open like she'd just witnessed an explosion. Nobody moved.

"Mike?" Bella muttered, mortified. "Remember the guy with the bear story?"

"S-sure," Mike stuttered after a second. "Yeah, there was a guy who said he saw a huge black bear right at the trailhead—bigger than a grizzly," he confirmed.

"Hmph." Jessica turned to Lauren, her shoulders stiff, and changed the subject. "Did you hear back from USC?" she asked.

Everyone else looked away, too, except for Mike and Angela. Angela smiled at Bella tentatively, who returned the smile.

"So, what did you do this weekend, Bella?" Mike asked, curious, but oddly wary. Everyone but Lauren looked back, waiting for her response.

"Friday night, Jessica, Morgana and I went to a movie in Port Angeles. And then I spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday down at La Push."

The eyes flickered to Jessica, to me, and then back to Bella. Jessica looked irritated. Like, not 'kill you' irritated, but at least 'spill yogurt on you' irritated.

I wondered if she didn't want anyone to know she'd gone out with us, or whether she just wanted to be the one to tell the story.

"What movie did you see?" Mike asked, starting to smile.

"Dead End—the one with the zombies," Bella said, grinning. I hid a soft smile behind my hand, it was really nice to see her open up. Perhaps what I thought was just a fluke might actually be the annoying sister I had come to love.

"I heard that was scary. Did you think so?" Mike was eager to continue the conversation.

"Bella had to leave at the end, she was so freaked," Jessica inserted with a sly smile.

Bella nodded. "It was pretty scary."

Mike didn't stop asking Bella questions until lunch was over. Gradually, the others were able to start up their own conversations again, though they still looked at Bella a lot. I kinda felt bad for her - they were acting like she was a zoo creature.

Angela talked mostly to Bella and me, and, when I got up to dump my apple core, she followed.

"Thanks," she said in a low voice when we were away from the table.

"For what?"

"Speaking up, sticking up for me."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to thank me for that - I may be crazy, but I'm still a decent person. I did what anyone else would do."

"You're not crazy," Angela said quickly. "Just… special?"

I laughed. "Thanks, I think."

Angela huffed. "Oh, you know what I mean."

"I do. Now, if only you could help convince my mother that, and I'd be set."

* * *

**Important A/N - So _eeeeaud_ gave me this great idea of having Morgana potentially having a fling with Leah or Quil while Carlilse's gone. I'll put up a poll for you guys to tell me your thoughts, or you can try to convince me to do/not do in reviews. It won't happen for a bit, but the faster you guys answer, the more likely you'll be able to convince me as I won't have had as much time to decide myself. **

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**So that was kinda a super short, uneventful, yet adorably fluffy (for Morgana) chapter. I'll (hopefully) post a longer chapter with actual plot in it in a bit, but I felt kinda bad for having not updated yet, and I dunno... It just felt like a good place to end? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and please review! Reading reviews is like drugs - happy moods and creative thoughts. I think.**

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**Shippergirlky - **Thanks, I hope you stick around long enough to see it through :)

**Hermoine - **Thank you

**JosieNightOwl - **Don't worry, it will. And if it goes as planned, there'll be _lots_ of drama.

**DxGRAYxMAN - **True. Maybe next visit? Or when she finds out the wolves? I dunno - I'll see if I can work it in, for drama at the very least.

**eeeeaud - **Whoa, big review. At first, I was like hella worried it'd be full of criticism, but on finding out it's not, I'm extremely pleased. It means a lot to me that you obviously spent a while crafting that. I agree - at this point, she's gone from tough cookie your grandma gives you six years after it's eat-by-date, to like... a coffee flavoured cookie?

Morgana and Quil... I hadn't considered that. First, yes my Endgame is Carlilse/Morgana happy ending. As for her attraction to Quil, I'm not sure. As you said, it'd be the perfect fling, and great revenge against Carlisle. And I love drama, so that's a bonus. Whether she'd feel like she's cheating, I think she would on some level, but at the same time, she doesn't know if she loves him or not. Maybe a fling would be the perfect way to figure that out?

Morgana/Leah is a couple I could definitely see happening, although it probably wouldn't have any real romantic feelings. And yes, I definitely agree, the wolves aren't the greatest set of characters, and I feel like they get to get away with anything by placing the blame on the wolf inside them. Decisions, decisions... Also, I hope you don't mind but I've asked for other's to give their opinions on this, since this is such a great idea.

**New World Wonder - **Thanks :)

**lolostarkiller - **God that sucks so much. Did you end up doing Christmas? Hopefully that cheered you up. Charlie will probs find out at some point, I think. And yeah, it'd definitely be pretty funny with him and Billy.

**Ghostwriter71 - **It's undecided. Once we get to Newborn/Volturi fights, I'll make a more definite decision on whether or not she has important powers. But as for the more control, Morgana will definitely have that, and it'll play a big part soon. And yeah, I tend to agree with Morgana (Historical Morgana) - all she wanted was to use magick!

**surfingfreak - **Aw, thanks so much! That's really nice to hear.

**Guest - **Thanks, and this time it wasn't _too_ long a wait. Only like, a month... oops? But yeah, for reals this year I'm going to try and be more dedicated to HIB.

**Brookie Twiling - **IKR? I never liked him in the books. Hunger Games is amazing! Best Dystopian series by far.


	25. Honey, I Wanna Try

**Today's Quote:**

**Roses are red, violets are blue, God made me pretty, what happened to you? ;)**

* * *

I awoke with a start as a heavy weight jumped onto my stomach.

"_Oof_," I said, grimacing. I blinked sleepily at the weight and found myself staring straight into the eyes of a maniac. "Isabella? It's like 9 am. On a Saturday."

Bella grinned madly. "Get up," she ordered. "Get up, get dressed, get in the car-"

"Are you kidnapping me?" I asked wearily. I closed my eyes and rolled my head to the side. "Just get on with it then."

"No, silly," she said. There was an impish trait in her voice I hadn't heard from _anyone_ in ages, let alone _Isabella._ "We're going to the Rez - Jacob finished the bikes!"

I shot straight up, pushing Bella off my body in the process. She went tumbling to the floor, but I paid no mind.

"He finished the motorbikes?" I repeated. I went straight for my closet, tearing off my pyjamas as I went. "Thank fucking god!"

"Morgana!" Bella chastised. She picked herself up from the floor. "Language!"

"Yeah, yadda yadda, whatever. Motorbikes, Bella. _Moter. Bikes_."

"Yeah, I know. I'm the one that told you, remember?" she said rhetorically, rolling her eyes. I froze. Oblivious to my surprise, Bella started going around my room, picking up dirty clothes off the floor.

"Did you just… _sass_ me?"

"Yes. Is this clean?" She held up a pair of dark brown jeans with flowers running up the sides.

"I think so, " I said, still dumbfounded.

"Good." She chucked them at me. "Wear them with a white shirt and your jacket - it'll look great together."

Bella Swan? Giving me fashion advice? Not just that, but _good_ fashion advice. Someone pinch me. Even as my eyes raked down her outfit (a dark blue turtleneck and black jeans), I couldn't believe it. She looked… healthy. Happy. Pretty.

"Are you… crying?" Bella asked me, looking down at my face with mild fear.

"No," I quickly dismissed. I blinked back the sudden wetness in my eyes. "Get out, I have to change."

"You're already standing in your underwear," she pointed out.

"Yeah well, I'm changing that too. Out."

* * *

Bella parked the truck off to the side of the Blacks' house, close to the trees, to make it easier for us to sneak the bikes out. When I got out, a splash of colour caught my eye—two shiny motorcycles, one red, one black, were hidden under spruce, invisible from the house. Jacob was prepared. There was a piece of blue ribbon tied in a small bow around each of the handlebars.

"Dork," I muttered, but it was with somewhat fondness.

Bella was laughing at the bows when Jacob ran out of the house.

"Ready?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes sparkling. I got the feeling those sparkles weren't for me.

"Yeah," Bella said, but she didn't seem as excited as this morning.

"Hells yes," I said. I fluttered my eyelashes at Jacob. "Let me go first."

"Not on your life, girlie."

"Rude."

Jacob loaded the bikes into the bed of the truck with ease, laying them carefully on their sides so they didn't show.

"Let's go," he said, his voice higher than usual with excitement. "I know the perfect spot—no one will catch us there."

We drove south out of town. The dirt road wove in and out of the forest—sometimes there was nothing but trees, and then there would suddenly be a breathtaking glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, reaching to the horizon, dark grey under the clouds. We were above the shore, on top of the cliffs that bordered the beach here and the view seemed to stretch on forever.

Bella was driving slowly, paying close attention to the winding road. Jacob was talking about finishing the bikes, but his descriptions were getting a million times so technical, so I had started listening to music almost half an hour ago.

_'Hey'_

Two minutes passed before my phone beeped with a response.

_'Hey, Sweetheart. Is everything alright?'_

_'Yeah I'm in Bella's truck (god help me) and we're going to try the motorbikes I told you about? I figured now was a good time to text as long as you're not busy.'_

"Who's that?" Bella asked when it beeped again.

"Angela," I lied smoothly.

_"I'm never too busy to text you.'_

I rolled my eyes at Carlisles' corniness, though I couldn't help the blush that sneaked onto my face.

'_Are you sure you'll be safe on them? Jacob knows what he's doing, right?'_ he texted before I had a chance to respond to the first message.

'_Of course he does. So do I when it comes to riding. You worry too much.'_

_'I love you to the moon and back. Of course I'm going to worry.'_

I had long since realised Carlisle was my soulmate. I loved him more than I would've thought I could anyone. Did he know that? No. Why? Because... I'm a coward.

Before I could stop myself my fingers were typing back the words and hitting send. My brain didn't stand a chance against my heart.

_'I love you too.'_

I turned my phone off immediately. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Obviously Carlisle loved me. Everyone knew that. But an annoying part of my subconscious kept nagging and telling me otherwise. And even if we did both love each other, what way was that to tell him? Over text? Ugh.

That was when I noticed four figures standing on a rocky ledge, much too close to the precipice. I couldn't tell from the distance how old they were, but I assumed they were men. Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts. As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the brink.

Bella seemed to notice it too, the car slowing down quickly, and then, as the man jumped off the cliff, the car broke with a screech.

"No!" she shouted.

"What's wrong?" Jacob shouted back, alarmed.

"That guy—he just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!"

I watched as the guys on the cliff whooped in excitement, the faint sounds of it reaching my ears even that far away. I remembered my day at the beach with Leah from so long ago when she had spoken of overbearing Quiluliete boys and their obsession with wolves.

Bella threw her door open and started to get out.

"Bella, I don't think-"

Jacob cut me off with his loud laughs. "They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know."

He was teasing, but there was a strange note of irritation in his voice.

"Cliff diving?" Bella repeated, dazed. She stared in disbelief as a second figure stepped to the edge, paused, and then very gracefully leapt into space.

"That looks _amazing_," I said in awe. "I am _so_ getting Leah to jump with me."

"Absolutely _not!_" Bella screeched. "You are _way_ too young!"

"Plus," Jacob interjected, "cliff Diving is more, ya know, a man's thing."

I raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to continue.

"I mean, it's just… I'll stop talking now."

"Yeah," I said, "that'd be smart."

The second guy fell for what seemed like an eternity to me, finally cutting smoothly into the dark grey waves below.

"Wow. It's so high." Bella slid back into her seat, still staring wide-eyed at the two remaining divers. "It must be a hundred feet."

"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about halfway." He pointed out his window. The place he indicated did seem much more reasonable. "Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good."

He made a disgruntled face as if the stunt personally offended him. It surprised me a little.

"You jump off the cliff?" Bella asked.

"Sure, sure." He shrugged and grinned. "It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush."

I looked back at the cliffs, where the third figure was pacing the edge. I'd never witnessed anything so reckless in all my life. I so wanted in.

"Jake, you have to take me cliff diving," Bella said, seemingly voicing my thoughts. I coughed pointedly. "Us. We'll make it a day."

He frowned back at me, his face disapproving. "Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam," he reminded her.

I squinted at the man now swimming in the dark sea. I was surprised that he could tell who it was from this distance. I stared at him darkly, almost as though I could lazors through my eyes at him as punishment for what he did to Leah. In the back of my brain, I wondered if that was even possible.

"I want to try," Bella insisted, starting to get out of the car again.

"If you don't we'll just go with Leah," I warned. "And I don't think she's done it very often so more likely than not we'll die," I said dramatically. Jacob glared at me before relenting somewhat.

"Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?"

"_Yes_!" I agreed. "But I want to go soon."

Bella hummed her agreement, giving me a sideways smile that I returned.

"Soon." He rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you Swans are a little strange. Do you know that? And we're not jumping off the top."

I watched, fascinated, as the third boy made a running start and flung himself farther into the empty air than the other two. He twisted and cartwheeled through space as he fell like he was skydiving. He looked absolutely free—unthinking and utterly irresponsible.

"Fine," Bella agreed. "Not the first time, anyway."

Jacob glared at me again. I got the feeling he felt like I was the cause for Bella's sudden want for death-defying experiences. I didn't blame him though - somehow I probably played a hand in it.

Jacob sighed. "Are we going to try out the bikes or not?" he demanded.

"Okay, okay," Bella said. I tore my eyes away from the last person waiting on the cliff. I put my seat belt back on and closed the door. The engine was still running, roaring as it idled. We started down the road again.

"So who were those guys—the crazy ones?" Bella wondered. He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

"The La Push gang."

"You have a gang?" I asked. I realized that I sounded impressed.

"Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace." He snorted. "There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah rez, a big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land and tribe pride… it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam." He shook his head, face full of resentment.

He continued, his voice tight. "Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves 'protectors' or something like that."

"You don't like them very much," I said, matter of factly.

"Does it show?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well… It doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad," Bella said, trying to soothe him. "Just sort of annoyingly goody-two-shoes for a gang."

"Yeah. Annoying is a good word. They're always showing off—like the cliff thing. They act like… like, I don't know. Like, tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something, you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiled—no, he showed his teeth but he didn't smile—and it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly, it was like Sam was holding him back—like Paul was going to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him." He groaned. "Like a bad western. You know, Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think anyone of us could take him, I bet even you could, Morgana, scrawny though you are."

I huffed. I'd love to see them try to take me on.

"Tough guys," Bella agreed. "Isn't Sam a little too old for this kind of thing?"

"Yeah. He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it, either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship and got married. But, oh no, Sam Uley can do no wrong." His face was set in unfamiliar lines of outrage—outrage and something else I didn't recognize at first.

"It all sounds really annoying and… strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally," Bella said.

He was suddenly calm, staring out the side window. "You just missed the turn," he said in an even voice. Bella executed a very wide U-turn, nearly hitting a tree as her circle ran the truck halfway off the road. "Thanks for the heads-up," she muttered.

"Maybe I should drive," I joked.

"Yeah right, as though I'd let _you _touch my baby," Bella said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, so I can help teach you to ride a motorbike, but the second I wanna drive a truck you don't trust me?" I asked, in mock offence.

"Speaking off which," Jacob interjected, "what happened to your bike?"

I sighed, slumping into my seat. "Dad took it off me 'cause I got in trouble. It's been like, forever, too."

Jacob perked up. "What'd you do?" he asked excitedly, like this was the best thing that I had said all year. I gave him a strange look.

"I ran away." The car swerved slightly, and I carefully watched Bella's reaction out of the corner of my eye. "Things just… got too much," I lied. I noticed Bella's hands clench around the steering wheel. "How close are we?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"Close. Wasn't that like months ago, though? How come you're still grounded?"

"Not grounded, just without a motorbike," I corrected. "And I guess Mum is still pissy with me and keeps pressuring Dad to do something, and he likes having me here so… I dunno. I think taking my bike is his way of keeping her happy enough to only _threaten_ to put me in another asylum."

"That's messed up," he muttered. "You can stop anywhere along here," he said louder. Bella pulled over and cut the engine. My ears rang in the silence that followed. We got out, and Jacob headed around to the back to get the bikes. I tried to read his expression.

He smiled halfheartedly as he pushed the red bike to Bella's side. "Happy late birthday. Are you ready for this?"

"I think so," she said. Her voice trembled

"We'll take it slow," he promised.

"No,_ Jacob_ will take it slow. I'll teach you how to _ride._"

"Oh yeah?" Jacob asked. He ruffled my hair while I tried to duck his large palms. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah. C'mon Bella, are we gonna ride or what?"

I could deal with Carlisle later.

* * *

**Long time no update... oops? By this point I'm sure you guys are used to it, but still. Sorry xx**

* * *

**The first point of business - I've decided not to have a fling. A lot of you expressed your concerns about that so I've decided against it. Sorry to the few that wanted one, but I might add some flirting in. **

**And yes! Morgana admitted it! ****Hopefully you'll all enjoy the Carlisle/Morgana thing in this chapter. I wasn't 100% confident with it so tell me what you all think.**** Ugh but that girl has some serious drama to sort through. And fears. And then there's Renee...**

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**And now for reviews! As always, thank you so, so much for taking time to comment - it means so much. :)**

**miss e malfoy: **Thanks, and don't worry. No fling.

**DxGRAYxMAN:** Yeah an excellent point, it was definitely one of my major factors to consider.

**Brookie Twiling: **Happy Birthday! Thanks. Angela is one of my favourite characters (she's so supportive and a great friend) so I always feel like she should be written a lot nicer than what she's sometimes portrayed as. I'm glad you see it that way too

**eeeeaud: **Yeah, short is good - easier to write + generally fluffier. I'm glad you see it that way (Bella and Morgana). Sorry about no fling - majority rules. And yes I definitely agree it would've been kinda fun to write. But I'm definitely gonna try and incorporate some light flirting, maybe she'll even flirt with Leah to make Carlisle jealous when they finally reunite? We'll see.

**Katvoondale:** Thanks. She's got a long way to go, but she's definitely come so far.

**Lizzy B:** Thank you, hopefully you liked the little Carlisle/Morgana interaction.

**Treesh: **Ikr! Carlisle/OC is such a great coupling - it drives me insane there aren't many!

**Lolistarkiller:** I'm glad you're doing better, and I'm sure your parents appreciated it. And yeah, that must be so terrible to deal with. Again, my condolences. But going to Germany? That sounds great! Plus a new property with 21 acres? Soooo jealous right now. Yeah... fast updates are not my thing I have not-so-recently discovered. Yeah, expect a Charlie/Morgana/Power reveal (kinda) in a couple of chapters. It'll be super dramatic. And thank so much!

**New World Wonder:** Me too - she's a great character.

**TwoHeartedMarauder: **I think I'll always come back to it, it'll just take me a while. I'm not very good at speedy updates. Yeah, it definitely would be a great twist, but I think I'm more gonna play around with a friendship angle.

**Guest: **Lol fair enough - don't worry - there won't be a fling.

**Vale Herondale: **Thank you so much! That's a great point that I've taken into consideration - you're right, she shouldn't have to always be in a romantic relationship, and she and Leah are great best friends. That's a great idea (Carlisle diagnosing Bella), and one I'll try to implement in later chapters. Sorry about long waits between updates :(


	26. Honey, You're My Everything

**Today's Quote: **

**Strength grows in the moments when you can't go on, but you do so anyway.**

**Before you read, I just want to say with everything going on in the world, I hope everyone reading this is okay financially, physically, mentally, etc, and that if you aren't I really, really hope you are soon. Stay safe everyone xx**

* * *

"I'm not ready for this," Bella said to me, her voice hushed to keep Jacob from hearing.

"And I wasn't ready to be born into a crazy-ass world with a crazy-ass mother, but here we are," I said. "Or crazy-ass sister, come to think of it."

"_Hey!"_ She glared at me. "Uncalled for."

"Your face is uncalled for. Sorry," I said. "I'm just tense."

It had been a _long_ afternoon. You'd think given that Bella had been driving for years, she would be able to grasp the concept of riding a motorbike quicker than I at barely 16, but no. It had been a full three hours of explaining to her where the clutch was, and how to find the brake.

"Okay, ladies, are we ready to ride?" Jakob called over. Bella had delegated the task of moving the bikes to the road to him. It surprised me how fast he had gotten the job done - those bikes were not exactly light.

We headed over to the long stretch of dirt road, and I watched as Bella clumsily sat on the motorcycle.

"Are you sure I'm ready?" she asked.

"Nope." At my words, Bella paled considerably. "But you've faced worse, so, ya know, you got this. And if you don't, then I'll tell Dad you died a heroic death saving me from one of those massive bears or something."

She laughed nervously.

"Do you remember how to put it into first gear?" Jacob asked. He put his hand on the back of her seat when the bike started wobbling.

"Yes."

"Well, go ahead and do it."

"Okay."

I waited for a few seconds. "Left foot," I prompted. "You've got this."

"I know," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jacob asked. "You look scared."

"I'm fine," she snapped. She kicked the gearshift down one notch.

"Very good," he praised me. "Now, very gently, ease up on the clutch." He took a step away from the bike. I mirrored his actions. It wasn't that I didn't trust Bella's motorbike skills, it was just… Okay, yeah, I didn't trust her skills.

"You want me to let go of the grenade?" she asked in disbelief.

"That's how you move, Bella. Just do it little by little."

She slowly let go of the clutch, before jolting and letting go completely. The bike bucked under her, yanking her forward and then collapsing to the ground half on top of her. The growling engine choked to a stop.

"Bella?" I asked worriedly, stepping closer as Jacob pulled the heavy bike off her with ease.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, dazed. She sat still, staring blankly at a tree in the clearing.

"Did you hit your head?" I asked. Her head snapped towards me, as if only then realising I was there.

"I don't think so. Did I hurt the bike?"

"No," I said. "You just stalled the engine. Next time, don't let go of the clutch so fast."

"Next time?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah," Bella said. She pulled herself up off of the ground. She shot me a smile. "I wanna try again."

It was almost adorable watching her try to kickstart the bike. She had to jump a little to slam down on the pedal with enough force, and every time she did that, the bike tried to knock over. It took several good tries, and even more poor tries, before the engine caught and roared to life under her. Bella revved the throtte experimentally.

"Easy on the clutch," I reminded her. She blinked owlishly at the air beside me, and I narrowed my eyes. "Bella. Easy on the clutch."

Her gaze darted toward me like she had only just heard me. "Easy on the clutch," she repeated. "Got it."

"Ease off slowly," Jacob encouraged her.

"I will," she said.

Slowly she relaxed her hand by tiny degrees until the gear caught and she was off, wrenching her forward. She was flying. Wind whipped at her hair, throwing it into the air like in some beauty commercial.

"Dibbs next." I said quickly, before Jacob could call it. He pouted at me.

And then Bella seemed to switch gears, and the bike pushed forward even faster, and I watched as she flew closer to a curve in the road.

"Breaks!" we screamed at her, although from this distance she would never hear me. Without a seconds though I ran towards her, Jacob hot on my heels. "Brakes!" we shouted at her again.

Bella did something weird with the bike, and suddenly it began to swerve off course, the stability of the machine decreasing. She headed towards the forestline, before twisting her handlebar in the other direction so quickly the motorbike didn't have a chance to steady itself before flying both it and Bella across the road and onto the wet sand. The bike laid on top of her, roaring loudly. And still they slid, until they ran headfirst into rock, coming to an abrupt standstill.

"Bella!" I yelled, as we reached the crash site. Jacob picked the bike off her with ease, throwing it away. "Jesus, Bella," I said in horror, looking at her. Blood poured out of her forehead, a great ugly gash stretching across.

"Wow," Bella murmured.

I crouched over her anxiously. "God, you look horrible."

"I feel great!" she enthused. She flexed my arms and legs. "Let's do it again."

"Absolutely not," I said. "We're taking you to the hospital."

"I'm fine," she insited.

"Um, Bella?" Jacob said cautiously. He looked a little queasy. "You've got a huge cut on your forehead, and it's gushing blood."

She clapped her hand over her head. She held her hand up in front of her face and blanched at the blood.

"Here, Jacob," I held out my hand, "give me your jacket."

"Me?" he asked.

"Who else?"

He reluctantly handed over the flannel, which I pressed to Bella's head.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"Apologising for bleeding? There's my Bella," I said. "When you didn't faint at the blood I thought an alien had got you."

Bella giggled at my weak joke, sitting back against the rock that had caused her injury in the first place.

"Don't go falling asleep on me," I warned. I looked up at Jacob. "Help me get her up, will you?"

Together we got her to her feet, letting her take a moment when her head swum from the sudden movement.

"Let's go. I'll drive." Jacob held out his hand for the keys.

"What about the bikes?" Bella asked, handing them over.

"Wait here," he said. "I'll be back with the truck in a mo'." He jumped on the black motorcycle, kicked it to a start in one try, and raced back down the road, spraying sand and pebbles behind him.

He looked athletic and professional as he leaned over the handlebars, head low, face forward, his shiny hair whipping against the russet skin of his back. My stomach clenched with envy. How desperately I wanted to be back on a bike, to have control over something, to move freely with the wind.

Bella whimpered, and I snapped out of my thoughts, staring at her worriedly.

"It just hurts now that the adrenaline's gone," she explained. I bit my lip - I knew head injuries bled a lot, but she had already soaked the whole shirt. It had begun to stain her fingers red, and blood slowly dripped from her hand. I made a decision.

"Here, give." I made a grabby hand gesture for the flannel, and Bella cautiously passed it to me. The half-dried, gooey blood stuck to my hand.

"What are you going to-"

I pressed my hand against the wound, feeling it flare up instantaneously, but without growing increasingly out of my control. It was a nice change. Bella hissed as wispy smoke began to puff up, and I pulled back my hand. It looked a lot was drying in thick streaks across her cheek and neck, matting in her hair, but it no longer rushed out like a tap.

"Better?" I asked. She nodded.

Jacob arrived back at us with the truck, the loud engine giving me plenty of warning to push the flannel back into Bella's hand. Jacob left the truck running as he raced back to me, wrapping his arm around Bella's waist again.

"Okay, let's get you in the truck."

"I'm honestly fine," she assured him as he helped her in. "Don't get worked up. It's just a little blood."

"Just a lot of blood," I heard him mutter as he went back for the bike.

"Now, let's think about this for a second," Bella began when he got back in. "If you take me to the ER like this, Charlie is sure to hear about it."

"Bella, I think you need stitches. I'm not going to let you bleed to death."

"I won't," she promised. "Let's just take the bikes back first, and then we'll make a stop at my house so I can dispose of the evidence before we go to the hospital."

"I can stich it," I interjected. The two stared at me. "What? Carlisle taught me."

"You watched him stitch me up _once_, and that was months ago at..." She trailed off, but I knew she was referring to the disastrous vampire birthday party.

"Not true," I said, before inwardly cursing at the hole I was digging. "I got him to teach me different types of stitching ages ago."

"_When?_" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Truth - I had skyped him a few weeks ago and got him to teach me on an old woolly doll I had stolen from the attic. I was proud to say Bunny McStuffins was completely patched up.

Lie - "Oh, ages ago," I said instead. "A couple of months before they left."

"Really?" Jake asked, eying me dubiously. "I still think we should go to the hospital."

"Bella's right; people will ask too many questions."

Jacob wasn't happy—his full mouth turned down in an uncharacteristic frown—but he didn't want to get us in trouble. I stared out the window while he drove us to Forks.

At home, after Jacob had left, I helped Bella hide the evidence. We washed off the blood, and I stitched her up, making a set of small, neat lines of thread. Carlisle would be proud. Then I hid her dirty, bloody clothes in the bottom of the laundry basket, and then helped her put on a shirt, careful not to let the cotton brush against her skin.

Then I left her to her own devices, and headed up to my room, flopping down on the bed. The sheets were soft, and it would have been easy to let my mind wander into the depths of nothingness, but I forced myself to turn on my phone.

Eighteen texts. Eleven missed calls. Three missed video chats.

I scrolled through Carlisle's texts. Most of them were confirmations, of his love, then telling me how happy he was, and, as I scrolled further, messages conveying his worry.

'_Hey'_ I texted him. '_Sorry I just left like that - I just wanted to let you know im all good and you dont have to worry.'_

For once I had to wait for his reply. It was a brutal half-hour of waiting before he responded. I absolutely deserved it though.

'_Are you able to video chat?'_ he asked. Not a second later a request popped up on my screen, and I accepted, setting my phone on my pillow so he could see me.

"Hi," I said when his figure popped up on the screen. He looked just as gorgeous as ever, but if he had ever looked old this was the time. His face just screamed pain and worry, and I almost wanted to vomit for causing that.

"I'm so, so sorry," I said.

"Okay," he said quietly. My heart just about broke. "Did you mean it?' he asked, looking at me intently.

"Of course I did." I smiled tightly. "I got scared, though."

"Because I'm a vampire," he said solemnly. He looked close to tears.

"What?"

"This whole time I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for you to be as frightened of me as you should be, and then with James I thought that was it, but it wasn't, and I just…"

He closed his eyes, not daring to look at me. My hand flew to my mouth. This whole time, he had been protecting me, worrying after me, caring for _me_. Not once had I ever considered that Carlisle wanted someone to validate him. I had been selfish, never considering that he might need that support too.

"God no, Carlisle please," I said. "You're perfect, absolutely perfect, I swear I could never be afraid of you."

"You were, once. When you found out."

"I didn't know you then, but I do now. You're this kind, amazing person who I love so very, very much-" His eyes opened, flicking back to me "-and I am _so_ sorry I made you feel like I didn't, or that I was scared of you. Truth is, I've had a lot of boyfriends. One girlfriend too, don't ask, but I've never really cared for any of them, especially not to the extent I do for you. I love you Carlisle Cullen, and that is a terrifying thought. Not you, but the idea that I would do anything for you in a heartbeat. _Anything_."

"Really?"

"Of course. You're my mate. I'll always love you, no matter what."

"I love you too."

* * *

**Once again, stay safe everyone. Be careful, and be smart. Remember, we _will_ get through Coronavirus.**

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**Reviews for Chapter 25:**

Madi In The Sky With Diamonds - Thank you, and as long as all goes to plan, there'll be lots of excitement soon.

binhacunha3 - Thanks

DxGRAYxMAN - Yup, no affair, especially not after this chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed the last update, thanks for reading.

Lizzy B - Leah will definitely be appearing more, and hopefully this chapter satisfied your M/C love? I hope to do some Carlisle oneshots in the future - any particular scenes you want?

jingerr - Yeah I agree, they are a bit far apart. She will defintiely become a vampire, probably before Bella, but not for a fair while.

hermonine - Thanks, and oops? As per usual, it's ben awhile - hopefully the cuteness in the end of this chapter makes up for it?

eeeeaud - Hell yeah our girl loves Carlisle! And she really shows it at the end of this chapter. (Finally). M and leah defintiely would make a great team, but hey, they'll make a badass fighting duo anyways. As for Renee, well, keep an eye out...

Brookie Twiling - Yeah, she is gonna love cliff diving. And she and Leah are definitely gonna show up the boys - they haven't got a chance! Hopefully the end of this satisfied your Carlilse wondering...

surfingfreak - Thanks

lolistarkiller - Yeah Charlie is gonna FREAK. Ooh are you at your new place now? Thats so exciting! You'll have to wait and see for Jacob finding out - it's gonna be dramatic

Guest - Thank you so much! i swear the toughest part of writing is the character personalities and developments, so it's great to hear I'm doing okay with that.

BeforexImxDead - Thanks - I hope you liked the new update

Luscious'Golden'Locks - sorry about the sudden abandonment, but you finally get to see Carlilise's reaction. Hopefully it wasn't too out of character.

ReadingRainbow7 - Thanks, I'm glad no one's disappointed about me deciding against it. She and Carlisle are definitely a thing now. It is a while away, but I'm already beginning to plan out the Volturi, lol. Any suggestions for stuff you want to see?


	27. Honey, Who The F Are The Badgers?

**Today's Quote: The fact that jellyfish have survived for millions of years without brains gives hope to many people.**

* * *

Dinner that night was a… tense event, for lack of better words. Dad had spotted Bella's stitches despite our best efforts to hide them under hair and a beanie, and he had immediately begun questioning our actions for the afternoon.

"I just tripped, Dad," Bella lied. Dad's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Bella's weak explanation.

"Maybe you should just stay out of the garage altogether, Bella," he suggested.

I tried to eat my steak as casually as I could when Dad looked at me for confirmation.

"Uh-huh," I said. "We went hiking and Bella tripped over a root. She went tumbling down the track - would've been funny if not for, ya know." I gestured at her face.

"Since when do you hike?" Dad asked sceptically.

"Working at Newton's was bound to rub off some time," Bella pointed out. "Spend every day selling all the virtues of the outdoors, eventually you get curious."

I was almost proud of her for her smooth(ish) lie. Dad glared at us, unconvinced.

"I'll be more careful," Bella promised.

"I don't mind you hiking right there around La Push, but keep close to town, okay?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, we've been getting a lot of wildlife complaints lately. The forestry department is going to check into it, but for the time being…"

"Oh, the big bear," I said with sudden comprehension. "Angela was telling me about it."

"Yeah, and some of the hikers coming through Newton's have seen it," Bella added. "Do you think there's really some giant mutated grizzly out there?"

His forehead creased. "There's something. Keep it close to town, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Bella said quickly.

"I'll watch her," I said.

Dad gave me a crinkled smile. "Yeah, you and what muscles?"

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" I rolled up my sleeves, kissing my biceps obnoxiously.

Dad laughed, and suddenly we launched into a conversation debating whether or not I had muscle.

* * *

When Bella and I got home from school one afternoon, a very familiar car was parked in front of our house. Jacob was leaning against the hood, a huge grin lighting up his face.

"No way!" Bella shouted as I jumped out of the truck. "You're done! I can't believe it! You finished the Rabbit!"

He beamed. "Just last night. This is the maiden voyage."

"Incredible."

"It's very impressive," I agreed. The car was drab, ugly, and, to put it lightly, old, but the fact he had got it running was an amazing feat.

Bella held her hand up for a high five. He smacked his hand against hers, but left it there, twisting his fingers with hers. I bit back a smile at Bella's somewhat panicked look. Nearly four months, and Jacob still hadn't gotten the hint.

"So do I get to drive tonight?" he asked. I had almost forgotten they were going to a movie tonight. _Crosshairs, _the latest horror, filled with gore and blood. In other words, another movie with far too much screaming and too little accuracy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good scare as much as anyone, but for the love of god could Hollywood _please _stop producing overly-dramatic films?

"Definitely," she said, and then sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm giving up—I can't top this one. So you win. You're the oldest."

He shrugged, unsurprised by her capitulation. "Of course I am."

Mike's Suburban chugged around the corner. I grimaced at the idea of Bella spending time with that pervert. As time went on, he got nicer. The same could be said for his creepiness.

"I remember this guy," Jacob said in a low voice as Mike parked across the street. "The one who thought you were his girlfriend. Is he still confused?"

Bella raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a look that could only be described as '_Is he serious?'_.

"Some people are hard to discourage," she said slowly.

"Then again," Jacob said thoughtfully, "sometimes persistence pays off."

"Most of the time it's just annoying, though." Jacob glared at me.

Mike got out of his car and crossed the road. "Hey, Bella," he greeted her, and then his eyes turned wary as he looked down at me. "Morgana."

"Asshole."

If he looked scared seeing me, he was positively frightened at seeing Jacob. I glanced briefly at Jacob, too, trying to be objective. He really didn't look like a sophomore at all. He was just so big - Mike's head barely cleared Jacob's shoulder; Bella barely met his chest, I didn't want to think about what I measured next to him given I was like a head shorter than her.

"Hey, Mike! Do you remember Jacob Black?" Bella asked.

"Not really." Mike held out his hand.

"Old family friend," Jacob introduced himself, shaking hands. They locked hands with more force than necessary. When their grip broke, Mike flexed his fingers.

I heard the phone ringing from the kitchen.

"I'd better get that—it might be Charlie," Bella told us, and dashed inside. Apparently, it was Ben. Angela was sick with the stomach flu, and he didn't feel like coming without her. He apologized for bailing on Bella. I frowned, Angela was sweet, I hoped she got better quick.

I was a mix of feeling bad for Bella having to deal with the two boys on her own, and jealous I wouldn't get to see any of the drama unfold.

"I guess the flu is making another round. Austin and Conner were out today, too. Maybe we should do this another time," Mike suggested.

Jacob spoke. "I'm still up for it. But if you'd rather stay behind, Mike—"

"No, I'm coming," Mike interrupted. "I was just thinking of Angela and Ben. Let's go."

"And that's my cue to say goodbye," I said. "Have fun, Bella dearest. Later, losers."

* * *

I twisted my body around until I found a comfortable position on the floor, pushing my feet into Dad's lap. He patted them absentmindedly, his full focus on the game.

"Okay, so who are we rooting for?" I asked, staring dubiously at the two teams on the field. I assumed they were playing baseball, but I really didn't know.

"The Badgers."

"And they are…?"

"The ones in blue and white."

"Yay! Go Badgers!" I said with obviously fake excitement. Dad chuckled.

"You're a strange kid, Ana."

"I take pride in it." I watched with morbid fascination as a green player dove dramatically over a base, screaming out in pain. "Whoo!"

Dad gave me a look.

"What?" I asked, giving him a sly grin. "Isn't that good for the Badgers?"

"I feel like I should probably be addressing your violent tendencies, but… you know what? It is great for the Badgers." Dad surprised me by cheering loudly, making giant whooping sounds and clapping. "Yeah! Feel the pain, Player Number 7!" he screamed. "I refuse to learn their names - it makes them human," he added. He waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Fair enough." Who was I to question Dad's weird priorities?

I heard the front door open behind me, and I turned around to see Bella walk in, placing her phone on the table.

"Movie over already?" Dad asked in surprise when he noticed her.

"Mike got sick," Bella explained. "Some kind of stomach flu."

"Hope he's out sick for a while," I said. Dad pinched my toe for that.

"You okay?" he asked. Bella didn't look great - kinda peaky and like she was gonna cry.

"I feel fine now," she said doubtfully.

She leaned against the kitchen counter, her hand inches from the phone. It was a solid twenty minutes before she finally picked up the phone (I wasn't being creepy, I was just observant!)

"Who're you calling?" I asked, when the phone rang out for the seventh time.

"Jacob. I want to make sure he got home okay."

"Aww, you two are just adorable," I teased. She stuck her tongue out at me.

On the eighth ring, Billy answered.

"Billy, it's me, Bella—did Jake make it home yet? He left here about twenty minutes ago.…. He was supposed to call me." I made a point of staring at the TV when Bella saw me eavesdropping on her conversation. "He was getting sick when he left, and I was worried.…. Let me know if you need any help," she offered. "I could come down.…. Okay. Bye."

Bella set down the phone with a sigh. "He's sick," she proclaimed.

"Must be a pretty contagious virus, if both Mike and Jacob caught it," Dad said.

He couldn't have been more wrong, as three hours later Bella was shivering under a pile of blankets, and not thirty minutes after I was woken by an intense need to hurl into the toilet.

"I hate you," I moaned, wiping away the grossness on my chin.

"Me?"

"Who else. You gave this stupid thing to me."

"Blame Angela - she's the one that got it in the first place."

I frowned. "I'd be okay blaming Mike," I suggested instead. Bella made a noise of agreement, before shoving me away so she could steal my spot in front of the toilet. "Ew."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

**Ghostwriter71** **\- It's a cute name, right? I had a rabbit toy named that, I guess it stuck in my memory. **

**DxGRAYxMAN** **\- IKR I can't wait until that scene. Aro won't know what hit him.**

**Brookie Twiling** **\- Morgana and Carlisle are definitely adorable and perfect together, I can't wait until I can reunite them. **

**lolistarkiller** **\- Reveal to Charlie might be a while away, I have two scenarios I'm playing out in my head, each incredibly different, so you'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

**Lectiox** **\- She's totally amazing, I'm so glad you like her so much. **

**Guest - A Morlisle baby? I kinda want it now that you've suggested it lol. I wouldn't get too excited about Morgana having a baby though, although you'll definitely get to see her as an Auntie.**

**Eeeeaud** **\- I know, I love how much Bella and Morgana relationship as sisters has grown, it's been great to write. **


	28. Honey, Just Breathe

_**Today's Quote: Dear Stress. Let's break up.**_

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

I tried to concentrate on the words of my textbook, but the constant drumming of Bella's nails on the table made it difficult for me to process anything else. There was no rhyme or rhythm to it either, which made it that much harder to drone out.

_Tap. Tap. Tappity-tap._

"Bella, you're driving me insane."

_Tap. Tap._

"Am I? Oh." Silence. "Sorry." Silence again. Blissful, sweet, amazing silen-

_Tap. Tappity-tap-tap. Tap. Tap-_

"Will you stop that!" I screamed, throwing a pillow at Bella's hands.

"I'm sorry!" she whined, throwing the pillow back at me. It landed against a vase, tipping it over dangerously before it wobbled and spun back to standing upright. "I'm bored."

"And so I should suffer too?"

Bella pouted. "Maybe I should ring Jake again."

I didn't have the energy to even roll my eyes at her undying persistence. When Bella and I had gotten sick, so had Jacob. The only difference was, he apparently caught mono, and had been grounded by Billy for the month. The Reservation's phone lines were down too, and so Bella had been left with no one to talk to for the past three days. How I was supposed to play nice with her for 3 and a bit more weeks I had no idea.

"Do you think I should?"

"Hmm?"

"Call Jake," Bella said, giving me a look like it was obvious. "Maybe they got the phones fixed."

"You really believe that?"

"...No."

I turned my attention back to the textbook. Hey, I may be skipping-a-grade smart, but a girl's still gotta study.

_Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap-tappity-tappitty-tap-tap-tappitty-tap-tappitay-_

"_Oh my god stop it!"_

"I'm bored!"

"I'm studying!"

"I'm still bored!"

I closed the book with a snap. "Okay, that's it. Get up."

Bella pushed herself off the chair by the table, staring at me warily. "Are you gonna beat me up?"

"What? No. Probably not. Maybe not." I smiled wickedly at Bella, and she shivered. The idea certainly had some merit. "Just… Let's do something. I'll take you on a walk."

"Like a dog?"

"Exactly. We'll try and find that stupid meadow from ages ago."

"Jake and I were doing that together."

"So? Jake's sick, you're ansty, and bonus, if you fall and get knocked out, you'll be much quieter."

"No."

"Yes."

Bella glared at me. I glared back. Perfect; a staring contest.

Thirty minutes later we were pushing past shrubs and trees to find the mythical meadow Bella was so obsessed with.

The forest was full of life today, all the little creatures enjoying the momentary dryness. All the birds chirped and cawed, and the insects buzzed pleasantly. Even if we didn't find the meadow, I'd still consider the walk a success - the forest was gorgeous.

So content to be one with the environment was I, didn't notice that Bella had stopped in her tracks, and ended up bumping into her. Predictably, she fell dramatically to the ground, a new graze adoring her leg.

"Sorry," I said, helping her back up. "Why'd you stop?"

"This is it."

I looked around the area, taking it in. It began with a low arch made by two vine maples—pushing past the chest-high ferns—into the meadow. It was as perfectly round as if someone had intentionally created the flawless circle, tearing out the trees but leaving no evidence of that violence in the waving grass. To the east, I could hear the stream bubbling quietly. It was the wrong season for wildflowers; the ground was thick with tall grass that swayed in the light breeze like ripples across a lake.

"Oh. Good. It's pretty," I said.

Bella didn't answer, instead, she sunk down into the grass and began to gasp loudly.

"Bella?" I asked worriedly, as she started breathing louder. "Bella, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"He's - he's not - he left me."

"Edward? Bella, what's going on."

I crouched down next to her and tried to push her into a better position.

"He's not here," she gasped. "He's not here. Why? _Whywhywhy?_"

"I - I don't know. You need to breathe."

"I can't!" she screamed. She shoved me hurtling away, and I fell roughly on my back. "Why isn't he here?"

I heard the birds screech loudly, and then the sounds of their wings fluttering frantically as the flew to get away from Bella's voice.

"Bella, calm down."

I didn't know what had gotten into her. She was scaring me. _Bella, _scared _me. _

But not as much as Laurant's appearance did. Tall. Dark. Shiny skin that I had only seen before on vampires. That unnatural smile and all-too pleasant facial features. Black hair that made me think of Emmett, before realising that no, this was not a friend. Not an enemy either. But not friendly.

Bella froze before me, and I watched a flash of emotions flick across her face before finally landing on one that scared me: recognition. She too knew this man, and my fear was confirmed. Laurant. In the flesh, standing before us, was a man who had been content to kill humans. A man who only left James's coven out of fear for what the Cullens might do to him. A coward, yes. A dangerous, scary, _vampire_ coward.

"Laurent!" Bella cried in surprised pleasure.

"Bella?" he asked, looking incredibly astonished. He turned his head to look at me directly. "And Morgana."

I smiled tightly. "It's interesting to see you here."

"And to see you both."

It was impossible how exactly the same Laurent looked. I suppose it was very silly and human to expect some kind of change in the last year. But there was something… I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"We do live here," Bella said. "I thought you'd gone to Alaska."

He stopped about ten paces away, cocking his head to the side. "You're right," he agreed. "I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect… When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on."

"Oh, well, they're always looking for opportunities," I said.

"Is William gone too?"

"Yes. I'll tell him you said hi."

I had no intention of ever speaking to William in the near future, or even a way to contact him except through Carlisle, but Laurant didn't need to know that.

"I'd appreciate that." He smiled at me, his pearly whites almost glimmering in the sun. "Tell me, why did they leave you both behind. As I remember, you were both… somewhat pets to the Cullens."

I smiled wryly. "Something like that."

"Hmm," he said, thoughtful again.

At that precise moment, I realized why he looked the same—too much the same. After Carlisle told me that Laurent had stayed with Tanya's family, I'd begun to picture him, on the rare occasions that I thought of him at all, with the same golden eyes that the Cullens had. That good, animal-eating vampires had.

My own eyes met Laurant's, and I tried not to react at his dark ruby irises.

"Do they visit often?" he asked, still casual, but his weight shifted toward me.

"Now and again," Bella said. Even I could hear how she was trying to make her voice light, relaxed. "The time seems longer to me, I imagine. You know how they get distracted…"

"I was only speaking to Carlisle last night about how much I couldn't wait for his next visit," I said.

Bella whipped around to face me. "You did?"

"Of course, Bella," I said sweetly. I begged her with my eyes not to freak out, to accuse me of anything, to just play along. "Weren't you wondering why I was up till 3?"

"Right," she said flatly. "Talking to Carlisle."

If we got out of this, I knew I was _so_ going to get an earful from her.

Laurent took a casual step to the side, gazing around at the little meadow. I didn't miss that the step brought him closer to us.

I made an unsubtle show of pulling off my gloves and tucking them into my jean pocket. I worried I'd be able to take on Laurant alone, but hopefully the reminder of my power would be enough to make him back down.

His eyes flicked curiously to my hands, before back up to Bella's face.

"So how are things working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?" Bella's voice was high, too high.

The question made him pause. "I like Tanya very much," he mused. "And her sister Irina even more… I've never stayed in one place for so long before, and I enjoy the advantages, the novelty of it. But, the restrictions are difficult… I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long." He smiled at me conspiratorially. "Sometimes I cheat."

"Oh," Bella said in a faint voice. "Jasper has problems with that, too."

"Really?" Laurent seemed interested. "Is that why they left?"

"No," I answered honestly. "Jasper is more careful at home."

"Yes," Laurent agreed. "I am, too."

The step forward he took now was quite deliberate.

"Did Victoria ever find you?" Bella asked, desperate to distract him.

I focused on pushing my energy into my hands. Control. Power. Keep it calm, but keep it hot. Wisps of steam were already being created from the moisture in the air reacting with the heat I was giving off.

"Yes," he said, hesitating on that step. "I actually came here as a favour to her." He made a face. "She won't be happy about this."

"About what?" Bella said eagerly, inviting him to continue.

"About me killing you," he answered in a seductive purr.

Calm, calm, _waitwaitwait. _Three more steps and then attack. Go for the head. Calm. Build up energy.

I was surprised to see how pale my hands were. I almost felt like they should be glowing red, or even decorated in dancing blue flames, and yet, nothing. Well, not nothing. I could feel the fire pulsing, just waiting to be released.

Laurant took another step towards us.

"She wanted to save that part for herself," he went on blithely. "She's sort of… put out with you, Bella. She thought it more appropriate to kill you than Edward—fair turnabout, mate for mate. She asked me to get the lay of the land for her, so to speak. I didn't imagine you would be so easy to get to. So maybe her plan was flawed—apparently it wouldn't be the revenge she imagined, since you must not mean very much to him if he left you here unprotected."

Another step.

He frowned. "I suppose she'll be angry, all the same."

"Then why not wait for her?" I choked out.

A mischievous grin rearranged his features. "Well, you've caught me at a bad time, Bella. I didn't come to this place on Victoria's mission—I was hunting. I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell… simply mouthwatering."

His hand reached out as if to stroke Bella's neck, and I batted it away, my arm erupting in a frenzy of fire. Bella screamed and jumped back, and I shoved my hands into Laurant's face.

I could feel him trying to wrestle me off, his fingers were twisting deep into my skin, blood dripped down my sides, but he couldn't shake me off. I managed to burn through his skin and I sunk my own fingers into his eyeballs, ignoring the squelch as I kept pushing and pushing through his charred head until, eventually, it was just a loosely compacted ball of ash.

"_Ohmygod what did you just do!" _Bella screeched. She screamed as I retracted my hands from the ash, shaking it off me like dirt.

"Saved our lives. You're welcome, by the way."

"_What the fuck!"_

"Isabella Marie, stop screaming, you're making them growl and I _really _don't want to face off like six giant wolves."

Bella stared at me dubiously. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I dunno, the giant wolves!" At her blank face, I grabbed Bella's wrist and pulled her close to me, twisting her as I went so that she was facing the beasts.

Six huge black shapes seemed to be stalking us from the tree line, quiet as a shadow, and creeping deliberately toward Bella and I. They were enormous—as tall as a horse, but thicker, much more muscular. One's long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.

Bella screamed loudly, the sound so piercing I dropped her wrist to clap my hands over my ears.

Another wolf, one with a reddish coat and big brown eyes stared at us carefully. He snorted once, before looking at the biggest wolf, presumably the alpha. He grunted, and then the pack turned on their heels and retreated as swiftly and sneakily as they had come.

"Oh my god," I whispered to myself. I slumped down to the ground, landing harshly against my arse. "Jesus, Bella, they were giant. Oh my god."

"You killed Laurant!"

"Get over it," I snapped. I threw a clump of grass at her, and she made a face before dropping to the ground too. "Do you - What do you think would have happened if I didn't, Bells?"

"... I don't know."

"Me neither. I mean, what if he was going to change his mind? What if it was a trap to… find Victoria and kill her."

Bella's expression softened. "He was going to kill us. You did the right thing."

I was surprised by her sudden one-eighty, and I must've let it show, because she continued.

"You are so much tougher than I, and that's not fair because _I'm _the big sister, and I should be looking after you. And I never really have. I'm sorry," she said. She took one of my hands and held it in hers. "I'm so, so sorry for everything that happened to you, and I want you to know I love you, and I trust you."

A sob escaped from me, and I blinked furiously. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't even know!" Bella half laughed and half cried. "But I needed to say it."

I launched into her arms, bowling her over, and began crying furiously into her shoulder. "I'm sorry," I cried. "I didn't want to kill him, I promise."

"I know, Morgana," Bella said. She rubbed circles into my back, and rocked me gently. "I know, but you did it to save me, and that's a good reason."

Bella let me continue to cry against her for a solid half an hour, before I pulled back. I rubbed at my eyes, though I was almost certain I was just making my mascara and blotchy face worse.

"Okay. What do we do now?" I asked.

"Toss him in a river?"

"Throw him off a cliff?" I suggested. Bella gave me a wry smile.

"Maybe we give him to some puppies. I bet he'd make a good teething toy."

"Oh my god Bella!" I spluttered through my laughter. "That's so wrong!"

"I know, but could you imagine?"

Images of cute, adorable puppies gnawing on Laurants body came to mind, and couldn't help but feel a little more uplifted about the day.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading this, I can't wait to continue Morgana's journey with you all! Also, we made it to 350 Favourites, and over 450 Follows! Whoo!**

* * *

chellekathrynnn - Thanks, I always miss writing HIB. Writer's block is a real bitch though. Hopefully I'll slowly create a more stable time table in the future, though.

eeeeaud - Thanks, I tried. I'm really working on trying to fix up Bella and Morgana's relationship, before, you know I destroy it. Just kidding. But for real it's been a bit of a work in progress, so I'm glad it's working.

magicbustrip - I'm so glad you enjoy how different it is. I'm really trying to just imagine how it would work in real life, and portray that instead of perfect, instant movie romances. Thank you for reading

Pinklips90 - Thank you, and I know, it's gonna be heaps of fun to write and the read.

Ghostwriter71 - Ugh I hate stomach flu so much! Also, as for the badgers, I do not know. I hate sports, and couldn't be bothered to research, so I just picked an animal lol. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if somewhere out there a real 'Badgers' team exists

lolistarkiller - Yup, I'm glad you're excited. :)

ksyushangel - The wolves are definitely not history - they're just getting started. And as for a Morgana/Wolves confrontation... today was kinda that, I guess? But don't worry, Morgana will have a real fight with them in the future, I promise.

Guest - Nope. Volturi drama will commence, don't worry, but the plot'll probably differ from the book a bit (or at least for Morgana, anyway).


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